


The Perfect Moment

by CaithyCat



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Crush, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-09-16 00:16:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16943400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaithyCat/pseuds/CaithyCat
Summary: When Cyrus is assigned to create a modern re-telling of "Romeo and Juliet" for English class, he decides to produce a movie. His stars, however, may pose some trouble. Will he finish his movie on time?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A few posts on Tumblr were talking about how Cyrus hasn't shown his interest in film and producing onscreen in a while. So, I came up with this little Tyrus fic and I just couldn't resist leaving hints of Muffy.

It all started in English class. They were halfway to reading “Romeo and Juliet” and Mr. Spencer decided that it was time to drop the bomb on them. 

“You are to create a modern-day re-telling of this story,” he explained, passing down sheets of paper with the instructions of the project. “It can be anything you want. You can draw a comic, write a story, do a photo essay, anything. Be creative and have fun with it.”

Cyrus accepted the papers from the classmate in front of him, took one, and passed on the rest to the back. He quickly scanned it, the wheels in his brain already turning. 

“This project is worth 5 percent of your grade so if you have any questions or need me to take a preliminary look, you are free to do so after class or visit me at my office hours.”

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. The students gathered their things and began making their way out of the room, chatting and discussing the project.

Cyrus did the same but instead of following everyone out the door, he went up to his teacher. 

“Mr. Spencer?” 

“Yes, Cyrus?” The man settled at the edge of his desk.

“I have an idea for what I want to do with my project and I’d like your approval.”

The teacher nodded. “Go on.”

Cyrus grinned, excitedly. “I’d like to produce a movie.”

Mr. Spencer looked impressed. “A movie? Well, that’s creative. But, remember that you only have two weeks to hand this in. You sure you can finish it by then?”

The boy nodded. “Definitely. Can I show you a script sometime this week and get your feedback?”

“Sure, that’s fine.”

Relieved and happy that he got his teacher’s approval, Cyrus practically skipped out of class. He had a free period next so he wasn’t in any hurry. Though if he wanted to have his script ready soon, he needed to start as soon as possible.

He chose to spend his free period at the library, where it was quiet and he had a favorite little nook behind the History section that was always empty at this time.

Settling in, he took out a notebook and his favorite pencil. He had exactly 35 minutes before his next class to come up with something concrete. 

First, he needed a story idea. A really good one.

A modern retelling of “Romeo and Juliet”. The assignment sheet said some things can be revised to fit the modern setting but the important elements have to be there like the rivalry between two opposing parties, forbidden love, and a tragic ending (no death required).

There were so many possibilities. 

Like, maybe a rich man and a poor woman.

Or rival bakers.

Maybe rival rock bands?

If he could get it approved, maybe two men…

Sighing to himself, Cyrus shook his head at that last one. He wished, so badly, that he could do a movie about two men falling in love. After all, he was gay and it was part of his identity, but he wasn’t really out to the school yet. Just his friends and family. And, he figured that despite Jefferson Middle School being pretty progressive, it probably still wouldn’t pass with his teacher. Which was sad, really. But, perhaps on another project, he could be a bit bolder.

Besides, he only had two weeks to film a whole movie. And he still had to write the script, get a cast, book locations, film, and cut and edit everything. He had to do something a tad realistic and wouldn’t get flagged by the school.

Groaning, Cyrus plopped his head on top of his notebook.

This was going to take a while.

 

* * *

 

It took him a full day to come up with a story and another two days to write a rough draft of a script. He knew he would have to revise it at some point but he could do that as he went along. 

After English class, he stayed behind again to talk to Mr. Spencer and hand in his script. And since he had class after, he had to wait until after school to talk to the man again. 

Suffice to say, he was a mess of nerves the entire day. His parents often told him not to worry so much about school, but he couldn’t help it. He was already feeling attached to his script and he wanted to see it come to fruition. It had been so long since he had attempted to film a movie and he felt like he had lost his touch. He wanted to get back into it because this was the one thing he knew he was fairly decent at, aside from schoolwork.

When the last bell rang, Cyrus hurriedly headed to his locker to swap his books and take the things he needed for his homework and texted his friends that he would be a little late to their after-school hangout at The Spoon. Then, he headed for Mr. Spencer’s classroom.

The man was already waiting for him, script at hand.

“Hello, Cyrus. I’ve read your script,” he said, waving the neatly stapled stack of papers.

Cyrus stopped in front of him, hands tightly wrapped around the strap of his book bag.

“H-How is it?” he asked.

Mr. Spencer smiled. “It’s really good. Very interesting. A bit ambitious, I must say.”

Cyrus allowed himself a smile.

“But… I have to ask you to make a few changes.”

Cyrus’ smile fell. “Changes?”

“Nothing bad, I assure you,” said the man, flipping through the pages. “I just think that it’s a little too long and you’ll have a lot of trouble finishing it in just a mere week and a half. But, I’ve made a few suggestions on which scenes to cut and a few other notes. You can look through them.” He handed Cyrus the script. “And I suggest keeping it under 30 minutes.” 

Cyrus blinked. “Under 30 minutes? That’s barely a movie!”

“I know, son, and I hate to limit your skills but I do have other projects to grade and I am also aware that you have other classes. This shouldn’t consume your life for a week and a half so do your best, okay? I know you can do it, Cyrus. I believe in you. And if you run into any trouble, you can always come to me. Alright?” 

Knowing that the man was right, the boy nodded in agreement. “Thank you, sir.”

“Do you need equipment? I’m sure the Film Club would be willing to lend you some cameras. And if you need to book any rooms or spots here in school to film, just let me know and I’ll give you the necessary permissions.”

“Thank you, sir! I’ll take you up on that!”

“Consider it done.” Smiling, Mr. Spencer clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m very impressed, Cyrus. You always do a hundred and ten percent effort.”

“That’s not mathematically possible but I appreciate the compliment, sir.”

Laughing, the man shook his head and sent him on his way.

 

* * *

 

“I’m sorry, what?” Buffy asked, blinking in disbelief. 

Cyrus bit his lip before saying, “I’d like you to star in my movie project for English class!”

After his meeting with Mr. Spencer, he met his friends at The Spoon. He had been trying to find a way to ask his athletic friend this giant favor so when Andi left first, he jumped at the opportunity.

Buffy wrinkled her nose. “But I can’t act.”

“Sure you can! You were in the production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ back in the 3rd grade!”

“As Tree Number 2! And I had one line!” 

“Tree Number 2 was very important! It threw the first apple at Dorothy!” Cyrus pouted. “Pleaseeee.” 

Buffy still looked hesitant. “I don’t know, Cy. Why me? Why can’t you hold auditions or something?”

“Because I only have a week and a half and auditions will take up precious time and you’re perfect for the role of Quinn! She’s smart, athletic, and…” He wriggled his eyebrows. “Gorgeous to boot.” 

The compliments made Buffy blush.

He almost had her.

“Pleaseeee, Buff. I’m begging you. And I even have a budget! I’ll pay you ten bucks!”

His friend chuckled. “I’d rather you pay me in milkshakes for a week.”

“Done!”

“And you said you need my team as extras?”

“Please!”

“Okay, I’ll tell them tomorrow.” 

Cyrus blinked. “Wait… does this mean you…”

Buffy smiled and shrugged. “I’ll do it. For the milkshakes.” 

Cyrus could just kiss her! So he got up from his seat and went around the table to plop in the booth next to her so he could wrap her in a hug and smack a kiss to her cheek. 

“You’re the best, Slayer!”

Laughing, Buffy hugged him back. “Anything for you, Cy.” She took a sip of her milkshake. “So, who else is in it?”

At that, Cyrus grew nervous. He knew who he wanted to ask to be her co-star and he knew she wouldn't mind. But, he hadn't asked Marty, yet. He might not even agree and Cyrus had a back-up, just in case.

“I’ll tell you, tomorrow, okay? I, uh, need to ask him first.”

Buffy shrugged. “Okay.” 

Breathing in relief, Cyrus took out his phone to send Marty a text. He hoped he would say “yes”. After all, it was Buffy. He wouldn’t say “no”, right?

 The two were still at a weird stage in their not-relationship but Cyrus knew Marty would jump at the chance to get closer to Buffy again.

 

* * *

 

Unfortunately, Marty responded to his text that night, declining and explaining that he would have loved to but he had a very important Track Meet out of town so he wouldn’t even be around to film when Cyrus needed him.

So, he had no choice but to go with his back-up, who immediately said “yes’ with no questions asked, which he was grateful for. But, he was still worried about Buffy. He knew she wouldn’t approve this one.

In fact, he should have prepared himself better for the ensuing argument when he thought to invite them both to have their lunch outside at one of the picnic tables.

 “HE’S MY CO-STAR?!”

“HER?!”

“CYRUS, YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!”

“UNDERDOG, YOU KNOW I’D KILL FOR YOU BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH!”

Cyrus blinked at that last one, confused. “What?” he blurted out.

But, T.J. was too busy glaring at Buffy to answer him. And Buffy wasn’t one to back down either, not even for a glaring contest.

Sure, the two were somewhat friends. Okay, not really. But, they were civil to each other. After the whole gun incident with Reed a couple of months back, Buffy was back to giving T.J. the cold shoulder when she could.

So, Cyrus awkwardly sat there in the middle as the two glared at each other across the picnic table. He was supposed to talk about the script with them, do a quick read-through, and discuss their characters.

“Guys, please,” he begged. “I only have a week and a half to do this. Even less, now that I think about it.”

Buffy sat back down in her seat. “Cyrus, you’re asking us to play _lovers_.” She spat the word like it was poison. “This isn’t exactly something either of us wants to do.”

“Yeah, what she said,” T.J. added. “Underdog, it’s not gonna work. Maybe you need to find another guy. I can find another guy for you!”

Cyrus pouted. “But, you’re both perfect for Logan and Quinn! You’re both smart, athletic, good-looking…”

T.J. seemed to perk up at that. “You think I’m smart and good-looking?” he asked, grinning.

Compliments really went a long way with these two. 

Cyrus shook his head and continued, “And, besides, the only other guy I had in mind was Marty but he’s going away for a Track Meet.”

“Wait...You were gonna get Marty?” Buffy asked, mouth open.

Cyrus could hear the hope in her voice and he wished he had been more successful in getting Marty. 

“Yes, but like I said, he’s going away to a track meet."

Buffy appeared to almost pout in disappointment at that. 

"So, I figured T.J." He turned to the other boy, who immediately sat up. "You could play Logan because you have all his attributes. And, um… I may also need your team’s cooperation. And I’m willing to pay! Ten bucks each!” 

T.J. nodded, quickly. “Anything you need. I gotchu.”

He was so agreeable. Cyrus was grateful for that.

Meanwhile, Buffy huffed. “Give me a break.” She shook her head. "I can't do this. Not with him."

Cyrus turned to her, now. “Buffy, please. I really need you. You and T.J.”

“Well… what about Andi? And Jonah?” she tried to compromise.

“Andi is not right for the role and she already offered to do props. And Jonah said he’d help me with the cameras. You and T.J. are what I _need_.”

His friend still looked hesitant. So, he brought in the big guns. 

Summoning the little bit of acting talent he had, Cyrus pouted and made his eyes as big as possible, trying to force a tear or two out.

Buffy stared at him, clearly trying not to get affected by his puppy dog eyes. So, he reached out to take her hand in his and squeezed them, amplifying his pout to the highest degree.

Finally, his best friend sighed. “Fine. I’ll do it," she stated, defeated.

Cyrus cheered. “Quinn! Meet your Logan!”

He grandly gestured to T.J. Both athletes flinched but he pretended not to notice because he was too happy and relieved that he finally got his way.

He could finally get started on his movie! And because he had two of the best people he knew on the project, this was going to be his best work yet! He would make sure of it!


	2. Chapter 2

The last bell rung, signaling the end of the day. Students filed out of their classrooms and to their lockers, grabbing their things, and heading out for the day. Soon, only a few remained for their after-school activities and clubs.

The building was practically empty when Cyrus made his way to the school gym, arms full with two camera bags.

“Thank you again for helping me out,” he said to the boy walking beside him.

T.J. flashed him a smile, not even breaking a sweat as he carried the two heavy tripod bags on each of his shoulders.

“No problem, Underdog. I’m happy to help.” 

“So, Buffy said she’s already gathered her team at the gym,” Cyrus continued.

“My boys are there, too. They’re helping set up the way your instructions said.”

Cyrus beamed. “You’re a lifesaver!”

T.J. shrugged. “I try.”

They walked in comfortable silence for a moment.

Cyrus had brought his own cameras from home and the Film Club had kindly allowed him to borrow some spare tripods. But they were too heavy so he had initially enlisted help from Buffy. To his surprise, it was T.J. who showed up outside the Film Club’s room. Apparently, Buffy was busy directing everyone to set up in the gym, where they were filming the first scene, so he figured he would go and help Cyrus with the equipment.

“So… how did you come up with this thing?” T.J. suddenly asked. “Two basketball rivals turned lovers? Doesn’t sound like something you would write.”

Cyrus chuckled and shrugged. “Believe me, it wasn’t easy. I had a lot of ideas but most were sadly not realistic in terms of getting it done on time. So, I just thought about other modern interpretations. Like ‘West Side Story’ and the 1996 movie with Leonardo DiCaprio. Gosh, he’s so handsome,” he couldn’t help but add.  

Beside him, T.J. chuckled. “I guess if you’re into the blonde pretty boy types. Hey, that sounds like me!”

He wiggled his eyebrows at him, making Cyrus nudge him playfully with an elbow.

“You’re so weird!” he exclaimed, trying to control his ensuing blush.

“Just stating facts, Underdog.”

They had known each other for almost a year now and Cyrus had gotten used to T.J.’s teasing that was sometimes borderline flirting. Cyrus only had one other male friend and that was Jonah. Sure, he and Jonah often affectionately teased each other, but T.J. took his to a whole different level. Cyrus wasn't sure if that was how actual male friends acted around each other, but he didn't mind. He liked T.J. (In more ways than just platonic, but he chose to not dwell too much on his feelings this time, lest he got hurt again. That was just the reality for him.)

 

Cyrus shook his head. “Anyway, moving on. I came up with the idea when I saw the boys’ basketball team banner next to the girls’. You and Buffy seriously need to tone down on the competition. It shows, you know.”

T.J. grinned. “My poster was that cool, huh? I had to up my game because Driscoll made hers so huge last time that you couldn’t even see ours!” 

“And this is why you and Buffy are perfect for the roles!” 

At that, T.J. cutely wrinkled his nose. “Except for the love part.” He shuddered, exaggeratedly.

Cyrus shook his head again, amused.

They continued on their way to the gym, filling the silence with small talk about their day. When they arrived, they were greeted with the hustle and bustle of preparations for the shoot. 

Andi was on the bleachers, helping a few of Buffy’s teammates with their makeup. Buffy was with Jonah, practicing her lines. Some of T.J.’s teammates were idling around, either reading the script or practicing their acting. All of them were already dressed in their team uniforms, like Cyrus requested.

He was impressed with the professionalism. Either they really loved the idea of being in a movie or getting ten bucks was quite enticing. No matter the reason, he had a lot of work to do! 

First, with T.J.’s help, he set up the cameras. One was for a wide shot and the second for close-ups. Ideally, they would use multiple cameras from various angles but he had to work with what he could with the limited time and equipment. Jonah had worked the camera for him before, so he wasn’t too worried, but just in case, he would put him in charge of wide shots and Cyrus himself would take care of close-ups. 

Then, he sent T.J. off to change into his uniform before approaching Buffy to quickly go over the script with her again. Then, he grabbed Jonah, explaining what he needed him to do (mostly just stand there by the camera and make sure it was recording). Then, he spoke to the two students who volunteered to play the teams’ Captains and go over their scenes (it was their chance to “boss” their actual Captains around for a few scenes, so they were quite appealing roles). 

When T.J. came back, all dressed and ready, Cyrus called to gather everyone.

“First, I just want to say thank you to all of you who came out to help me today,” he began, offering them all smiles. “I’m sure the ten bucks I offered had something to do with your participation, but I appreciate it nonetheless.”

He successfully made them laugh for a beat or two.

Satisfied, he continued, “Second, I’ve given everyone a copy of the script but things may still change in the next couple of days so I’ll keep everyone updated on the Facebook group but I’m hoping I wouldn’t have to change anything major. I’ve scheduled most of everyone’s scenes, except for a couple of T.J. and Buffy’s, to be after school, but if you can’t make it, please let me know in advance, my number is on the script. And last, if I get an A on this project, I’ll treat everyone to baby taters and milkshakes at The Spoon!”

At that, everyone let out a cheer. It was a last-minute addition, but Cyrus figured it was best to get them all motivated to help him make this his best project ever!

After the talk, he gave them five minutes to go over the script again and prepare for the scene.

They all scattered. T.J. led his team to one side of the gym, probably for a pep talk, and Buffy did the same for hers.

Meanwhile, Cyrus stood by the cameras, giving himself a moment to take several deep breaths. He was excited and nervous at the same time and his anxiety was slowly creeping in.

“I can do this,” he whispered to himself, trying to calm his anxious heart. “I got this.” 

“Hey.” 

He turned to see Andi walking up to him, smile on her face.

“I finished with the girls’ makeup and I made sure all the basketballs have air,” she said to him. 

“Thank you,” he replied, gratefully. 

She scrunched her brows. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. First day filming jitters and all.” He swallowed. “I haven’t made anything in a long time and… I guess I’m a little nervous.”

His pixie-haired friend stepped forward and offered him a hug. “Everything will be okay,” she calmly reassured him. “Besides, it’s Buffy and T.J. What’s the worst that can happen?” 

“Don’t say that! You’ll jinx it!”

Nothing good ever comes out of “What’s the worst that can happen?”!

“Oh. Sorry.” She looked genuinely apologetic but patted his shoulder, nonetheless. “Don’t worry too much, okay? Just do what you gotta do. You got this.” 

The talk helped as Cyrus felt his heart calm down a bit. After one last comforting hug, Andi left him to check on Buffy.

Five minutes passed in a blur and soon, he was calling for quiet on the set.

In this first scene, the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams booked the gym for practice at the same time. The Captains have a brief altercation, fighting for use of the place until Quinn (played by the lovely Buffy) suggests sharing the gym. This pique the interest of Logan (played by the handsome T.J.), who agrees. The two teams decide to split the gym in half, boys on one side and girls on the other.

Shooting this scene went remarkably well. The two students playing the Captains only messed up their lines twice, but Cyrus allowed the slight deviation from the script. And he needed shots of them just playing so not much acting was involved there. (And if Cyrus took a couple of extra close-up shots of T.J. shooting basket after basket, well, that was just for B-roll purposes.)

After that, it was time to film the scene where Logan and Quinn officially talk for the first time and fall in love at first sight but are cruelly torn apart by their respective Captains.

Cyrus carefully watched his camera, zooming in on the basketball that bounced by Buffy’s feet. He took a quick glance at Jonah’s camera, making sure his friend was zooming in on the shot of Buffy picking up the basketball and walking towards the center of the gym where T.J. waited by the line that split the court.

“ _Here_ ,” she said, handing T.J. the ball.

T.J. took it. “ _Thanks._ ” 

“Cut!” Cyrus called out.

The two athletes turned to him.

“T.J., you were supposed to put your hand over hers when she gives you the ball!”

“Oh. Right. Sorry." 

Cyrus offered him a smile. “It’s okay! Let’s do it one more time from the walk!”

They re-did the scene.

Buffy walked up to T.J. with the ball and handed it over. T.J. placed his hands over hers…and Buffy flinched and dropped the ball.

“Cut! Buffy, what was that?”

“His hands are cold!” she complained.

“Well, excuse me for being a human being!” T.J. retorted.

Oh, god, Cyrus was starting to get a headache. “Guys, please! One more time!”

They shot the scene a third time.

T.J. ended up laughing out loud when Buffy made a face at their hands touching. 

Sighing, Cyrus yelled “Cut! Everyone, take five!”

He paused his camera before walking up to his two lead actors.

“Guys, you’re supposed to fall in love at first sight in this scene,” he explained, as calmly as he could. 

“Sorry, but I can’t act like I’m in love with his face when I don’t like his face,” Buffy said. 

“Ditto,” T.J. agreed.

Cyrus sighed. “Here. Let me show you.” He gestured for Buffy to move so he could stand in her place and took the ball from T.J. “So, Buffy, you hand him the ball.” He demonstrated. “Now, T.J., put your hands over mine.”

T.J. obediently followed. 

Wow, his hands really were cold. And he was shaking.

“Dude, just relax,” he said to the athlete, chuckling a little. He felt T.J. calm down. “Now, do it like your hands are interlocking with mine.”

T.J. adjusted his fingers.

“Good. Now, after you thank her, look into her eyes because you just fell in love.”

Getting into the role of Quinn (to demonstate to Buffy, of course!), Cyrus looked up to meet T.J.’s gaze.

The taller boy’s eyes softened as he smiled down at him.

All of a sudden, time stopped. The background noises seemed to fade away. And Cyrus’ heart did a little flip as the blood rushed to his face.

That was exactly the look he needed, the emotion he wanted to convey to his audience. It was a look that made hearts flutter and legs feel like jelly. A look that you couldn't tear your eyes away from. 

Shaking his head to free himself from the spell, Cyrus nodded in approval. “Y-Yeah, like that.” He cleared his throat. “Do exactly that, okay?”

“Okay,” T.J. replied, softly. 

Smiling, Cyrus gently removed his hands from T.J. and handed the ball back to Buffy. 

“U-Um… Uh… T-Three minutes!” he called out as he turned on his heels to walk back to his camera. 

“Keep it together, Cyrus,” he scolded himself.

His face felt hot. He needed water.

 

* * *

 

 

T.J. was aware of the goofy grin on his face. He made Cyrus all flustered. He was so cute. 

“Earth to Kippen! You still alive in there?” 

His eye twitched in annoyance as he turned his attention back to the girl he was meant to be sending heart eyes to.

“What?” 

She flashed him a strange look before sighing and shaking his head.

“Nothing. Can we please do this scene right and get it over with? I really don't want to hold your hand for any more than five seconds.” 

T.J. snorted. “And you think I want to? Have you even read the rest of the script? We’re supposed to hold hands a bunch of times!” 

Buffy’s eyes widened. “Y-You mean… I-I-I have to…” 

He lamented that fact too. “Afraid so, Driscoll.”

Looking like she wanted to throw up, Buffy turned on her heels and jogged towards where Cyrus was standing by the cameras, talking to Jonah as he pointed at things on the script. 

T.J. watched, head cocked to the side at Buffy starting to argue something with Cyrus. She was probably protesting the number of hand-holding.

He wasn’t exactly thrilled about it either but he knew what he signed up for when Cyrus explained his script. Besides, he was doing it for him. He just wanted to help his friend…who may or may not be more than a friend to him. 

But, no one knew that. No, T.J. preferred to keep this knowledge to himself, for now. But, he did hope that doing this project would help him and Cyrus get closer. They already had a moment when he held Cyrus’ hand over the basketball, their eyes meeting, and Cyrus blushing all cutely. So worth the few scenes he was going to be doing with Buffy.

And by the time this project ended, maybe… just maybe… T.J. would finally have the guts to ask Cyrus out. 

“Okay, everyone! Back to your places! T.J. and Buffy, again, please!” 

But, first, he had to get through this nauseating scene with Driscoll.

 

* * *

 

“That’s a wrap for today! Thank you, everyone! I’ll see you all tomorrow!”

Cyrus maintained his smile and wave as the students filed out of the gym, one-by-one. Soon, only him, Andi, Jonah, Buffy, and T.J. were left.

Sighing, he allowed his fatigue to catch up with him as he laid on the floor.

“Can I do this for 7 more days?” he asked himself out loud. 

Andi and Buffy crouched down on either side of his head.

“Awww, Cy, you did great today,” Andi complimented.

“Yep, and we are very proud,” Buffy added.

Cyrus smiled and sat up. “I appreciate that.”

The girls patted him on the arm before getting up to go and pack their things.

“Hey, CyGuy.” Jonah came up to him. “I packed the cameras for you. Mind if I head out?”

He nodded. “Sure. Thanks again, JB.” 

Jonah offered him a fist bump, which Cyrus returned, and the dimpled boy headed off, giving the girls and T.J. a quick wave.

Speaking of T.J., he crouched down on the floor facing Cyrus.

“That was kinda fun, Underdog,” he said, grinning. “Well, except for the part where Driscoll tried to murder me with a basketball.” 

“I told you, Kippen, it was an accident!”

“That’s what all murderers say!”

“What kind of murderers have you been interacting with?!”

The back and forth was adorably hilarious. Cyrus burst out laughing.

“Why can’t either of you show this kind of chemistry when the cameras are rolling?” he asked in between giggles. 

T.J. wrinkled his nose. “Eew.”

“Gross!” Buffy looked at Cyrus in horror. “Don’t even, Cy. Just… don’t.” She grabbed her bag. “I’m gonna go change. You coming to The Spoon with us after?”

He shook his head. “Nah, I’m good. You guys go ahead! Thanks, again!”

The two girls headed out, the gym doors closing behind them. 

Cyrus turned to T.J. “I think she's still bummed that I didn't manage to get Marty."

"I'll bet. She looked like she wanted to tear my head off just for holding her hand." T.J. chuckled. "Anyway, you need help with anything else here? I don’t mind.”

Cyrus looked past towards the equipment. Those tripods did not look fun to carry all by himself.

“I do need to return those tripods to the Film Club’s room but you know how heavy they are."

T.J. grinned. “Give me 5 minutes to change and I’ll be right out.”

With that, he got up and jogged towards the gym doors to the locker rooms.

Meanwhile, Cyrus grabbed his copy of the script and began to flip through it.

Buffy had come up to him earlier, begging him to change some of the hand-holding scenes to… not hand holding. She really did NOT want to hold hands with T.J. He was glad he thought not to add a kiss scene or she would have an aneurysm. But, there was a hand-kiss scene. He should probably change that. He was leaving the hug, though, that was important.

Grabbing a pen from his pocket, he began making changes. Line-through some dialogue. Scratching out whole scenes and making notes to write new ones. Adding new dialogue. 

His creative juices were flowing. Cyrus was on a roll.

“Someone’s busy.”

He looked up to see T.J., all dressed in regular clothes. The taller boy plopped down on the floor and crossed his legs. 

“Buffy asked me to make a few changes.” Cyrus showed him the current page, filled from top to bottom with ink marks.

T.J. chuckled. “The hand-holding scenes?" 

Cyrus sighed. “Yeah.”

T.J. suddenly looked guilty. “Sorry. I know we’re supposed to act like we like each other but… Well… It’s not like I hate Buffy, I don’t. But… you know… It’s kinda hard to act like you like someone in a romantic way… when you don’t.”

“That’s why it’s called acting, T.J.,” Cyrus teased but with no malice. “But, it’s okay. I know that romantic chemistry is kind of too much to ask when you and Buffy are often at odds with each other.” He hesitated before asking, “Do you… want to back out?” 

“No!” T.J. replied, quickly.

“I mean, it’s only day one, I can try to find someone else-.”

“It’s fine, really!” T.J. kept insisting. “I’ll do better on the rest, I promise! I won’t mess this up for you! And I’ll make sure it will be the best project this school has ever seen!”

He looked so passionate and determined that Cyrus had to smile. He really was such a sweet guy. 

“Thank you.” Cyrus looked back down at his script. “I don’t mind changing some of the scenes to make you and Buffy more comfortable. But…I would definitely appreciate it if you could work on looking at Buffy like you’re in love with her."

“I can do that. I’ll act really hard!” Even as he said it, he still flinched.

Cyrus chuckled. “Can I offer you an acting tip?”

T.J. shrugged. “Sure.” 

Cyrus placed the script aside and looked at him, seriously. “Have you ever had a crush?” 

His question made T.J. look like a deer caught in headlights, eyes wide and cheeks red. “U-Um… what does that have to do with acting?”

“Just answer the question, T.J.”

The other boy appeared to hesitate before replying, “Yeah. I do.”

His voice was soft and affectionate. What a lucky girl.

Cyrus felt his chest twitch, but he chose to ignore it.

“Well, when you do your scenes with Buffy,” he continued. “Pretend that she’s your crush and you’re saying all these things to her and looking at her like she’s the most wonderful person in the world.”

Cyrus paused. T.J. was looking at him the same way he was earlier when he was demonstrating the scene with the basketball.

A soft gaze accompanied with sparkling eyes. 

“J-Just like that,” Cyrus managed.

T.J. blinked. “Like what?”

Chuckling, Cyrus pointed at his face. “Like what you’re doing now. Are you imagining your crush?”

To his amusement, T.J. turned red in embarrassment and looked away. “Um… Uh… I’ll definitely do that next time,” he said. 

Cyrus grinned. “It would definitely help.” 

Deciding not to tease the jock anymore, he picked up his script and stood up.

“We should drop off the tripods and head home.” 

T.J. followed suit. “You sure? We can stay if you want to keep writing. I don’t have anywhere to be.” 

Cyrus walked up to the equipment and picked up the camera bags. “Thanks but I think I’ll just finish up at home. Besides, you already missed tutoring for me.”

T.J. grabbed the tripod bags and placed them on his shoulders. “It’s fine. My tutor says I’ve been doing pretty okay so far. I can afford to miss this week’s for you.” 

Together, they headed out of the gym.

Looking up at him, Cyrus flashed a smile and fluttered his lashes. “My hero.”

That last bit must have caught him off-guard because the athlete with boundless confidence T.J. tripped on his own shoes.

Cyrus tried to hold back his laugh but couldn’t stop his grin. “You okay there, basketball guy?”

T.J. cleared his throat, trying to look calm and collected like he didn’t just almost face plant on the floor. 

“I’m fine. All good.” 

Shaking his head, Cyrus nudged his arm with an elbow. T.J. nudged back. Cyrus did it again. And T.J. retaliated.

Their trip to the Film Club’s room ended with a race, one that Cyrus actually won because, according to T.J., the tripods were heavy and weighed him down.

But, Cyrus still counted it as a win in his book.


	3. Chapter 3

The second day of filming passed with no incident and Cyrus grew confident that he would be able to pull this off after all.

So far, they had only filmed mostly basketball scenes, which were the easiest for the whole team to do. Besides, T.J. and Buffy were both completely in their element. There were a few hiccups, due to their chemistry (or lack thereof), but T.J. must have taken Cyrus’ advice since his scenes were going rather well. Buffy still needed a few takes for some of the more “flowery” scenes (her words), but otherwise, it was smooth sailing.

Now, the third day of filming, however, went a little differently. 

It started off fine. Everyone showed up on time, dressed and ready. They had studied and knew all their lines and what to do so they had little questions for Cyrus. The props and equipment were all set up, according to his specifications.

And, then, they were ready to film!

“Ready? And… Action!” 

The scene was a mock game between the two teams, which was supposed to be the equivalent of Mercutio and Tybalt’s duel. The scene was supposed to end with the Captain of the girls’ team hitting the Captain of the boys’ team with a basketball that injures him and Logan getting angry and shoving her to the ground, which makes Quinn angry, in turn.

The first two takes went well. But, Cyrus was ambitious and wanted a third. He watched with a sharp eye as he moved a bit closer with his camera, zooming in at specific actions. 

He was so invested in filming their running feet that all he heard was a “Cyrus, watch out!” before he lifted his head to the voice…

What happened next was a blur. All he knew was excruciating pain marring his face and when he was on his butt on the floor, camera still clutched in one hand as his other hand clutched his nose and tears sprung from his eyes.

“Cyrus! Oh my god!” 

A mop of curly hair was beside him in an instant: Buffy. And she looked terrified, which was rare. Buffy was rarely afraid of anything. Was it that bad?

Cyrus tried to talk but all that came out was a groan.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! It was an accident, I swear!” a girl’s voice exclaimed in horror and panic.

Another figure plopped down on the floor beside him. “Underdog! You okay? How many fingers am I holding?”

Cyrus squinted through the tears in his blurry eyes: T.J. He was holding up two blurry fingers.

“Two,” he answered.

There was a breath of relief. “You’re okay.”

“Okay?! He’s bleeding, Kippen!” 

That was when Cyrus realized that something warm and wet was dripping from his nose. With a shaky hand, he reached up to touch it and when he looked, his eyes widened in shock. The tips of his fingers were red. That... did not look good.

“Shoot, okay, I’ll take him to the nurse. Driscoll, stay here and take care of things.” 

Strong arms firmly wrapped around him, slowly lifting him up to his feet. His vision spun. He was soooo dizzy.

“Are you telling me what to do?!” 

“Not now, okay?! Just stay here with everyone else, I got him.”

There was no argument from Buffy after that.

Cyrus’ head was fuzzy but somehow, he managed to walk to the nurse’s office with T.J.’s aid. The taller boy’s fingers were firmly pinching the bridge of Cyrus’ nose and he was glad for the help. He couldn't seem to move his own hands. Was he in shock?

Thankfully, the nurse was still around. She was a nice lady and she knew who Cyrus was, having visited a few times due to an injury from gym class. She took one look at him, declared that he was pale, ushered him in, and made him lie down on one of the beds. As soon as his head hit the pillow, everything turned dark.

 

* * *

 

Cyrus had fainted. He wasn’t good with blood and T.J. was surprised that he had managed not to pass out until they reached the nurse’s office.

“Prop him up,” said the nurse. “Or the blood will go down his throat.”

Panicked, T.J. quickly did just that. He piled two pillows behind Cyrus, still making sure that he was pinching his nose.

The nurse came back with an ice pack and instructed him to press it up against the bridge of the other boy’s nose. 

“What happened?” she asked. 

“He got hit by a basketball,” T.J. answered, looking worriedly at Cyrus. “He’s going to be okay, right?”

“Well, I need to see if his nose is broken. We’ll wait until the bleeding and swelling stops and I’ll check. He’ll need to go to a doctor if there’s a slight chance that it is broken, but for now, let's let him rest and I’ll let his parents know what happened.” 

With that, the nurse excused herself to make the call.

T.J. turned back to the unconscious Cyrus. Even with blood dripping down his nose, he still looked cute.

Shaking his head for thinking such thoughts while his friend was injured, T.J. settled on the edge of the bed so he could continue pressing the ice pack to the injured nose. He really hoped that his friend would be okay. T.J. couldn’t help but feel guilty that he wasn’t able to save him from that basketball.

So, instead, he would stay by Cyrus’ side until he woke up.

Ten minutes passed and the nurse came back to check on him. Taking away the ice pack, she examined his nose. Thankfully, the bleeding had stopped and there was no more swelling. 

“It’s not broken, thank goodness,” she said, smiling. She took a damp rag she had brought with her and cleaned Cyrus’ nose. “He’s going to be okay. I’ve informed his parents and his father said he would be here in half an hour to pick him up. You can go now, if you want, Mr. Kippen.”

But, T.J. shook his head. “I’ll stay with him until then. Um, I just need to go back to the gym real quick and let everyone else know what happened. If he wakes up before I’m back, can you let him know I’m coming back?”

“Alright, I’ll be here.” 

He helped her move Cyrus down on the bed, placing a pillow under his head and another at his side (because Cyrus once mentioned that he liked cuddling something when he was asleep).

“I’ll be back, okay?” he whispered, as he covered him with a blanket and tucked him in. 

Then, T.J. ran to the gym.

 

* * *

 

 

His head was fuzzy and his nose was throbbing. 

Those were the first things Cyrus felt when he came to. 

Slowly, he opened his eyes and closed them again, quickly, when the bright fluorescent lights came to view. 

“Hey, you’re awake.”

Opening his eyes again, Cyrus turned his head to see T.J. sitting on a chair next to his bed, looking relieved.

“W-What… happened?” he managed, trying to sit up but failing. “Last thing I remember, you were taking me to the nurse?”

“Yeah… then you fainted.”

“Oh.” 

Cyrus blushed in embarrassment. Of course, he did. It explained why he was lying down, blanket up to his chin and a pillow at his side.

“But, the good news is, your nose isn’t broken. And your dad will be here to pick you up soon.” T.J. scooted his chair closer to the bed. “Andi, Buffy, and Jonah were here earlier, but they went back to the gym to help clean up. I told them they can head out when they’re done since I’m staying here with you, but you should text them later so they’re not worried. Oh, and I brought your things.” He pointed to the familiar school bag and stack of books, sitting neatly on another chair opposite the bed Cyrus was on. “I guess it’s safe to say that the shooting for the day is done?” 

Cyrus sighed, feeling forlorn. “I’m sorry.” 

T.J. furrowed his brows. “Why? You’re the one on a hospital bed, Cyrus. Oh, which reminds me, Ellie said she’s sorry for hitting you with the basketball.”

Cyrus let out a soft chuckle. “I forgive her.” He wriggled a bit to make himself more comfortable. “Just my luck, huh? When I thought that I was finally getting somewhere and achieving big things, something had to go and ruin it.”

“Hey.” T.J. placed a comforting hand on his arm. “This is just a minor setback. You’ll be back on your feet behind the camera in no time, okay? For today, just get some rest.”

Cyrus smiled at how sweet he was being. “Thank you, T.J.” 

“Anytime.” The athlete sat back on his seat. “So… what was the first movie you ever made?” 

Grateful for the change in subject, Cyrus launched into a story of getting his first camera from his Bubbe when he was in the third grade and filming a short little film about a lonely dinosaur who got lost on his way home and met a lion and a bird and became friends with them. The stars were his favorite Brontosaurus toy and two animal toys that Andi had left and forgotten about from one of their play dates. 

T.J. asked questions about the plot, laughed in all the right places, and made Cyrus feel that he was genuinely interested in such a story. 

It was a silly one, of course, since he was only 9 at the time. But he was proud of it. His step-father Todd helped him with the editing and his mother kept a copy of that little movie in a CD somewhere in her home. 

“I bet if you sell that to Disney or something, they’ll pick it up and make an animated movie!” T.J. exclaimed, sounding excited. “I’ll watch it and I’ll take my kids to watch it! Heck, even if I don't have kids, I’ll still watch it!”

Cyrus chuckled. “Really? You swear on it?”

T.J. placed his right hand on his chest. “I swear on the gods of basketball. I will watch _all_ of your movies.”

“Even the terrible ones?” Cyrus teased.

“Even if they’re terrible, I probably won’t tell you.”

“Hey!”

Laughing for the first time since he woke up, Cyrus felt lighter. He could barely feel the pain on is nose anymore and he could move his body a bit better now.

Slowly, he sat up. T.J. immediately got up from his seat to help him, propping the pillow behind him to support his back. 

“Thank you, T.J.”

“No problem.”

 “And, not just for helping me out but…” Cyrus’ hands fisted in the blanket. “You always believe in me, even when I don’t believe in myself. So, thank you for that.”

“Cyrus.” T.J. placed a hand over one of his and Cyrus tried really hard not to blush. “You’re amazing, you know that? You are capable of so much more. You just… need a little push and someone to believe in you.” He smiled, patting his hand before pulling back. “I don’t mind being that person. Besides, seeing you working so hard… it makes me want to work hard and be better, too.” 

His words made Cyrus’ heart do a backflip in his chest. The heat on his cheeks was overwhelming so he turned away to try and hide it. 

“You’re gonna be an awesome filmmaker, Cy. I know it.”

“You… have a way of making me believe you, you know,” Cyrus stated, as casually as he could while trying to ignore the fluttering in his chest.

He took a peek at T.J. who shrugged. “I’ll keep telling you the same thing until you believe it yourself.”

Cyrus wondered if he could ask the nurse for some ice because his face felt extremely hot at the moment.

Thankfully, by the time his dad arrived to pick him up, Cyrus had calmed down. His dad offered a ride home to T.J. as thanks for keeping him company, but the athlete politely refused. 

Cyrus couldn’t help but be a little disappointed about that. He was hoping to spend more time with T.J. He had managed to calm him down and distract him despite his panic. 

And he had taken care of Cyrus. 

That thought, alone, sent his heart into a frenzy once more.


	4. Chapter 4

Despite his little accident, Cyrus was still ready to continue filming the next day. Time stopped for no one and neither did his deadline. If he was to become a real filmmaker, he couldn’t let something as small as getting hit in the face with a basketball and a bleeding nose stop him. Besides, his dad had taken him to the hospital the day before to make sure his nose wasn’t broken (it wasn’t).

So, the next day, after filming a short Dance scene at the gym (which Andi had decorated), he gathered his cast and crew and headed off to the park to film one of the most important scenes in his movie.

(And by cast and crew, he only really meant Buffy, T.J., Andi, and Jonah. The others were done shooting for the day and had gone home.)

“Okay! In this scene, Logan will do his monologue while watching Quinn from afar,” Cyrus explained to them. “Buffy, you’ll stand at the gazebo and look contemplative. Jonah, your camera will do a wide-shot, with T.J. close and Buffy in the background.”

Jonah gave him a thumbs up.

“Andi, will you fix Buffy’s makeup, please? We’re starting in five.”

The equivalent of the infamous balcony scene, Logan and Quinn agree to meet up. Quinn sneaks away to the gazebo and Logan follows her after. Then, the two do their individual monologues and then their confessions.

“You ready?” Cyrus asked T.J., who was standing on his spot, reading his script.

He was dressed in a lavender button down, black slacks, matching suit jacket, and a purple tie to match Buffy’s purple cocktail dress.

The taller boy shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be. You know… as long as Buffy doesn’t kill me after.”

Cyrus chuckled. “Well, then, you’ll be thrilled that I replaced the kiss with a hug.”

T.J. scrunched his face, looking disgusted. “She really would have killed me then!”

Shaking his head in amusement, Cyrus stepped forward and reached up to take hold of the purple tie.

“Your tie is all crooked,” he stated, fixing it. Then, he smoothed T.J.’s suit jacket, picking off some stray lint. “There, all handsome.” He looked up to smile at the other boy.

T.J. was red as he stared down at him.

Cyrus’ eyes widened in alarm. “Are you okay?!”

He placed a hand on the other boy’s forehead, wondering if he had a fever. Was he sick?! Had Cyrus been pushing him too hard?!

Despite his panicking, T.J. just chuckled and shook his head. “I’m fine. Really. I think it’s just a little hot out.”

Well, that made sense. It was a little humid that day. They better wrap up this scene so they could all go home soon. Plus, they all had a pretty long day at school. And it was Friday!

“I’ll get you some water, then! Don’t want my star to be dehydrated!”

And with that, he bounded off to get T.J. a bottle of water. (He was well-prepared with snacks and hydration!)

* * *

He practiced his monologue all night, in front of his cat. Sure, Simon didn’t give a damn about the words he was saying to him as long as T.J. gave him his dinner, but still, he had felt confident.

So, when the time came to shoot, T.J. was proud to say that it went flawlessly. Okay, maybe he stumbled once and forgot a few words the second time, but by the third and fourth take, he had perfected it.

“Cut!” Cyrus called out. “That was great T.J.!”

His heart swelled with joy at the other boy’s compliment.

“Buffy! Get ready for your scene!”

As they moved the cameras closer to Buffy’s spot, T.J. found himself staying by Cyrus’ side. He subtly leaned in and pressed their shoulders together while the other boy adjusted his camera. Cyrus briefly turned his head to smile at him before going back to his task.

“Okay, Buffy! You ready?”

“Yep!” The girl gave them a thumbs up.

“And… action!”

 _“Logan… where are you?”_  Buffy said out loud as she looked out into the distance.  _“Is this really okay? Can we be together like this and not hurt our friends?”_  She sighed, loudly.  _“Does it really matter whether you’re in their team or not?”_

Buffy’s voice droned on in T.J.’s ears. He knew he should be watching her because everybody else was. But, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Cyrus.

The director’s concentration was firmly on the camera screen, barely breathing as his teeth subtly gnawed at his lower lip. He had really plump lips that stood out whenever he pouted. 

Not for the first time, T.J. wondered what it would be like to kiss Cyrus.

“Cut!”

His voice broke through T.J.’s thoughts. Realizing what was just running through his head while staring at Cyrus, he blushed.

“Okay, that was great!” Cyrus called out to Buffy, oblivious to T.J.’s red face. “One more take! This time, try to act a little more…dreamy! You’re in love, remember? You’re daydreaming about him!”

T.J. knew all about daydreams.

Then, Cyrus turned to him. “We’ll do two more takes and then we’ll do the next scene, if you want to look at your script again.”

“Okay!”

He was smiling but on the inside, he was groaning. He and Buffy were supposed to hug in this scene after spewing some flowery stuff at each other.

But, he had to keep remembering that he was doing this for Cyrus. It was all for Cyrus. Just like in all of his other scenes, he just had to pretend that the person in front of him is the person he liked…which was Cyrus.

So, while Buffy continued to film her scene, T.J. read through his script again, memorizing and feeling the emotions behind those words. And even though the words were cheesier than The Spoon’s mac-and-cheese, they were words written by Cyrus…and he had a way with them that just reeled T.J. in.

Soon, he found himself standing under the gazebo, Buffy across from him and Cyrus in between them, explaining what he wanted them to do.

Walk to Buffy. Stand close. Take one of her hands and put it against his heart. Then… hug.

“Ready? And… action!”

T.J. got into character and sauntered over to Buffy.  _“Quinn,”_  he called out.

Buffy spun on her heels and smiled at him.  _“Logan. I thought you would never come.”_

 _“Of course, I would.”_  T.J. took a few steps forward.  _“I promised you I would.”_

_“Are we doing the right thing? Keeping us a secret from our teams? Our friends?”_

_“You know what will happen if we tell them. They won’t forgive us.”_

_“I know but…”_

This was the moment when T.J. was supposed to take Buffy’s hand and put it against his chest. So he reached out to do exactly that.

“Cut!”

They both turned to Cyrus, confused. Neither of them made a mistake on their lines.

Cyrus sighed. “You’re standing too far, T.J.”

The athlete looked at the distance between him and Buffy. It seemed like a respectable distance. He took a step forward.

“Like this?” he asked.

Cyrus left his camera to walk up to the both of them. Situating himself in between, the shorter boy gently placed a hand on T.J.’s back and pushed him closer to Buffy, who took a step back. Cyrus took her arm and pulled her back in her original place.

“Like this,” he stated, matter-of-factly.

Buffy looked up at T.J., lips in a tight line and hands clenched in fists at her side. He knew that she was holding herself back from punching him in the face and running away.

“Buffy, why do you look like you want to punch him?” Cyrus asked, looking at her. “You have to be in love!”

“I’m sorry! But his face…”

T.J. sneered. “Yours is no work of art either, Driscoll.”

“Why you-.”

“Guys!” Cyrus stepped in between them. “This is supposed to be the perfect moment and you’re ruining it!”

Buffy raised an eyebrow. “Perfect moment?”

Cyrus sighed again. “In every story, there is a perfect moment. The timing is right, the mood is set, and everything else fades away into the background. It’s the moment that captures the audience and sticks in their memory the most. This is the scene where Logan and Quinn pledge their love for one another and swear not to let anything get in between them. The perfect moment! So, please… get this right? For me?”

He was practically pleading at that point and T.J. felt guilty that his lack of romantic chemistry with Buffy was causing problems.

“I’m sorry, Cy, it’s just… really hard,” Buffy explained, looking sorry. “I mean… look at him!”

She gestured at T.J.’s face.

Cyrus looked up at him. T.J. grinned. And Cyrus blushed and cutely looked away.

“I see nothing wrong with his face,” he stated. “In fact, he looks quite handsome... and you’re very pretty!”

T.J. resisted the urge to blush. 

“How about this?” Cyrus continued. “Close your eyes, both of you.”

“Why?” Buffy asked.

“Just do it, please.”

Obediently, T.J. shut his eyes. It took a moment but Buffy must have closed hers too as Cyrus cleared his throat and began to talk.

“Now, imagine that the person in front of you is the person you like.

T.J. pictured it in his head.

Cyrus standing in front of him, wearing that cute eye smile as he looked up at T.J. like he was the most amazing person in the world.

“The words on the script are the words you want to say to them.”

_I’d give it all up for you. The team. My position. Everything if it means I can be with you._

“Picture how they look at you when you do. Are they happy to hear you say those words?”

No, Cyrus wouldn’t be happy. He knew how important basketball was to T.J. and would never let him give it up. In fact, he would probably be angry if T.J. tried. He would still look cute, though. Like a puppy trying to bark.

“How do you feel about them?”

T.J. would still give it all up if Cyrus asked him to.

“Now, open your eyes.”

T.J. obeyed and the first thing he saw was Cyrus looking up at him with a soft smile.

“There’s the look I needed,” he said, turning his head away to look at Buffy too, who now looked less tense than she was earlier. “We’ll resume in five, okay? Take in those feelings just now.”

He patted them both in the back before walking back to his camera. T.J. watched him go, worried because Cyrus just looked stressed out. He wanted to help him.

“Let’s get this right this time, okay?” Buffy’s voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned his head back to look at her.

The girl no longer looked like she wanted to kill him, which was a relief, honestly. That would make this scene easier to act out when she wasn’t glaring at him. It was just so easy to banter with her. He supposed that that was just what their relationship would always be like.

“Yeah, definitely. We should,” T.J. agreed. “I don’t want to make this any more difficult on Cyrus.”

Buffy flashed him a strange look. “You know… you should just hurry up and make a move.”

That caught him off-guard and he immediately felt the blood rush to his cheeks. “W-What?” was all he could manage. “W-What are you talking about?”

Buffy snorted. “Oh, please, you’re not exactly subtle. Practically everyone knows.”

His throat was suddenly dry and he swallowed. “E-Everyone?”

Buffy shrugged. “Everyone with eyes.” Her eyes softened. “Look, T.J., I may not be… fond of you.” She wrinkled her nose. “But, me and everyone else can see that you care about Cyrus. And Cyrus cares about you, too. Trust me, I’m his best friend.”

He almost felt touched at that. But, that didn’t mean she was right…was she? Could Cyrus care about him in the same way? Or maybe it was the kind of care that he felt for all of his friends. Cyrus was a caring person, after all.

“I don’t know…”

Buffy snorted again and punched his arm. “At least try to make a move on him or something!”

He resisted the urge to rub his arm (damn, this girl could punch!) and, instead, ran a hand through his hair.

“I should…” he agreed. “But… what should I do?”

Buffy snorted again. “Well, don’t expect me to help you there.” She smirked. “Unless you beg.”

T.J. huffed. “I’m good, thanks. I’ll figure it out myself.” He hesitated before asking in a soft voice, “You think he cares about me?”

Buffy laughed. “You… are… oblivious,” was all she said before punching his arm again.

* * *

“They seem to be getting along well now,” said Andi, looking towards the gazebo.

Cyrus followed her gaze and watched Buffy laughing before punching T.J. in the arm. From Buffy, that was practically a sign of affection.

Something twitched inside his chest and Cyrus turned away to look at the script again. “T-That’s good,” he said.

“You okay, Cy?” Andi asked, concern in her voice.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“You just seem… bothered.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted before clearing his throat. “Anyway, we should start soon.” He turned back to the two under the gazebo, ignoring the way his chest twitched again. “Get ready!”

The two paused their conversation and got in their place. Cyrus positioned himself behind the camera and checked to see if Jonah was ready, too.

“Okay… Ready… And… Action!”

Up ahead on the gazebo, T.J. began.

_“Quinn.”_

Buffy turned around smiled.  _“Logan. I thought you would never come.”_

 _“Of course, I would.”_ T.J. took a few steps towards her.  _“I promised you I would.”_

Buffy looked down at the floor.  _“Are we doing the right thing? Keeping us a secret from our teams? Our friends?”_

T.J. moved a few more steps closer until he was at the spot Cyrus had shown him.  _“You know what will happen if we tell them. They won’t forgive us.”_

_“I know but…”_

T.J. reached out to take Buffy’s hand.

Cyrus’ heart was pumping hard and fast against his chest as Buffy raised her head to look at T.J. And, there it was… the look. The look that Cyrus wanted. The soft, loving look that spoke volumes, even through a camera screen.

 _“I’d give it all up,”_  T.J. said.

Buffy’s lips parted, slightly, in shock at the declaration.

Cyrus felt himself swallow as he zoomed in on T.J.’s face.

_“I’d give it all up for you. The team. My position. Everything if it means I can be with you.”_

And with those last words… T.J. leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Buffy, who wrapped her own around his torso.

Cyrus felt the breath leave his lungs at the sight.

It was beautiful.

Perfect.

And, then, T.J. lifted his eyes to look at him. The look brought him back to reality.

“C-Cut!” he managed to call out.

The two broke their hug and stepped away from each other.

“T-That was great!” he called out, with a small smile. “We’ll do one more take from another angle! Great job, you two!”

He turned his back to them and slapped his cheeks a little. They felt way too warm. He needed water.

* * *

After two more takes of the gazebo scene, Cyrus had T.J. and Buffy do a few scenes around the park for a montage.

They took a walk around the park while holding hands. Sat on the swings while talking (they didn’t have a script for this one but Cyrus wasn’t planning on having any conversation for the montage anyway so the two just talked about basketball). And sat by the pond, watching the ducks.

It was cute. Adorable. Sweet, even.

It stressed Cyrus out, for some reason.

But, after all that was done, they packed up everything and got ready to go home. 

It was Friday so they weren’t shooting over the weekend. His project was due next Friday so he had a max of three or four more days to finish shooting everything. Plus, Mr. Spencer had asked him to re-write the last scene and so far, Cyrus hadn’t come up with anything.

“You okay?” T.J. asked, breaking through his worries.

The jock was walking him home, still dressed in his formal clothes but with the suit jacket neatly folded in a bag. Both tripod bags hung from his shoulders, as they didn’t want to go back to school to return them so Cyrus was keeping them and the cameras for the weekend.

“Yeah, just… worried,” he confessed.

“About what?”

“Not finishing this movie on time.” Cyrus sighed. “I have to start cutting the clips and editing tonight. In fact, that’s what my weekend will consist of.” He let out a frustrated groan. “This is harder than I thought it would be.”

T.J. gently bumped his shoulders with his. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m sure you’ll finish on time, you never leave anything up to the last minute like I do.”

Cyrus felt his lips twitch into a smile.

“And I can help you, if you want.”

He raised his head to meet T.J.’s gaze. “Really? You would?”

“Yeah, totally! I mean, I’ve never edited a video before but if you tell me what to do, I can learn. I wanna help!”

Cyrus considered it. T.J. had been a big help to him throughout this entire week. And he just couldn’t resist when the taller boy looked so hopeful and excited.

So, he agreed.

Fifteen minutes later, they were both on Cyrus’ couch, glasses of lemon water sat on coasters on the coffee table and laptop computers in each of their laps. Cyrus showed him how to scroll through the clips, pick out the best clips, write them down for Cyrus to keep track of later when he edits, and move them to a new folder.

Side-by-side, with headphones on and barely any space between them, they spent an hour doing exactly this and mostly in silence, the only sounds coming from the clips and the scratching of pencils against paper.

A few times, Cyrus couldn’t help but peek at T.J. from the corner of his eye. And each time, he felt that same twitching in his chest that he swore to ignore. But, how could he when seeing how seriously the jock was with helping made him feel all warm and fluttery? It wasn’t T.J.’s grade on the line, but he was taking precious time to make sure Cyrus would pass with flying colors.

T.J. turned his head to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

Cyrus blinked and realized that he had been staring too long this time. “Sorry, I spaced out,” he half-lied before removing his headphones. “I’m a bit tired now. Let’s take a break.”

He moved the computer from his lap to the coffee table and leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes. He felt T.J. moving beside him. Soon, a shoulder pressed against his.

He opened his eyes and turned his head to T.J. “Thank you for everything. Once this is all done, you are definitely getting free milkshakes from me.”

T.J. grinned. “It’s a date.”

Cyrus blushed and looked away. He knew that T.J. didn’t actually mean a date. But, his heart was weak and he tried to quell the brimming hope threatening to take over.

“Besides, I’m having a ton of fun,” T.J. continued, oblivious to Cyrus’ turmoil. “Maybe I can help you with your next video project, too?”

Cyrus’ body betrayed him once more and he felt his ears heating up. Nonetheless, he turned to the boy next to him and smiled.

“Really? I won’t let you back out, you know.”

“I won’t back out,” T.J. swore, looking serious and determined.

Cyrus laughed. “What if it’s a film about two men falling in love?” he joked.

“I’d still star in it.”

He blinked, surprised. “Really?”

T.J. nodded, eagerly. “If it means helping you out, Underdog, I’ll play any role.”

Ahhh, he was so sweet. Cyrus wished his heart would stop beating so fast. It was way too loud and he was afraid T.J. would hear it.

They continued working on cutting clips throughout the rest of the afternoon until night fell. Cyrus’ parents arrived on time for dinner and they invited T.J., who accepted the invitation. They talked about Cyrus’ project, asked T.J. questions about school, and whatever topic came up.

After dessert, T.J. announced that it was time for him to leave for home as his curfew was approaching.

Cyrus walked him out. “Thanks, again, T.J.,” he said as they both stood out on the porch.

The jock grinned. “Any time. If you need me to help you out more this weekend, just let me know. I’m working until 3 tomorrow, but I’m free for the rest of the day and Sunday.”

“I’ll make a note of that, thank you. Good night.”

“Good night.”

With one last wink, T.J. turned on his heels and walked away, not realizing that he left Cyrus’ heart doing somersaults. 


	5. Chapter 5

Cyrus stared at his script, unblinking. The words all seemed to swirl together, like a giant dry alphabet soup. His eye twitched as he took note of the lines and scratches of his own handwriting - various attempts to write and re-write the ending. 

But, no matter what he tried, it all just sounded…off.

He was supposed to have a sad and tragic ending (no death required) and his original was pretty sad, but Mr. Spencer told him that if he could pull it off, he could keep it. But, now that Cyrus was re-reading and picturing it all in his head, it did seem complicated. Too complicated for a bunch of 8th graders with limited budget. So, he resolved to change it.

But, he couldn’t think of a single thing! His mind was blank! Why did writer’s block have to hit him right now?!

He had spent a good part of his Saturday cutting clips and editing and the sun was about to set while he was attempting to re-write this last scene!

Groaning, he fell back against the couch, closing his eyes. His head was pulsing so he lifted a hand to massage his temples with his fingers.

His phone ping-ed with a text and Cyrus blindly reached for it, hiding somewhere under his many papers. Finally, he found it and slowly opened his eyes, squinting.

**Hey. What’s up?**

Cyrus felt his lips twitch into a smile at T.J.’s text. It was so simple yet it made his stomach flip.

**Trying to re-write this scene for the millionth time. Ugh I hate writer’s block.**

T.J.’s reply didn’t take long. 

**Bummer. Need help?**

He was really sweet.

**Thank you but it’s getting late. I’m done with it for the day.**

He hesitated before sending a follow-up text. 

**Do you want to come by tomorrow though? Maybe we can toss some ideas around together. Two heads are better than one after all!**

His heart pumping, Cyrus pressed ‘send’ before he could change his mind. Placing the phone against his chest, he took a deep breath. He hoped T.J. would say “yes” because he really liked spending time with him. This project had given them the opportunity to get closer and maybe, the little bit of hope in Cyrus was already taking over.

His phone ping-ed, distracting him from his thoughts.

**Sure! I’ll come by around 11?**

Grinning, Cyrus responded,  **Sounds perfect!**

Pressing the phone back against his chest, Cyrus let out a loud sigh. He was looking forward to tomorrow.

 

* * *

At exactly 11am on the dot, T.J. rang the Goodman home’s doorbell. Cyrus practically tripped on his own feet to answer it. The athlete came bearing snacks so just like Friday afternoon, they settled themselves on the living room couch.

Even though it was almost lunchtime and his step-mom had left them money for pizza or Chinese, Cyrus attacked the box of Oreo cookies T.J. brought. 

For the next hour or so, they exchanged ideas and Cyrus dutifully wrote them all down… even the ridiculous ones.

“Oh! How about an alien invasion happens and they kidnap Quinn but Logan offers himself as an exchange?” T.J. suggested through a mouthful of chips.

Cyrus raised an eyebrow and wrote “alien kidnapping” on his notes.

“Where are we gonna get a spaceship and alien costumes at the last minute?” he pointed out.

T.J. hummed and shrugged. “Maybe Andi’s mom can do alien makeup?”

Cyrus chuckled and added that to his notes. T.J. leaned in, pressing his shoulders against his, to look at the piece of paper.

“Does anything else look good?” he asked, unaware of how much Cyrus’ heart was speeding up right then.

Why did a simple touch make him feel so overwhelmed?

“U-Um… I like the one where they end up injured and unable to play their respective games and thus, ruining the championships for both teams and resentment arises in their relationship so they break up,” he answered.

T.J. hummed. “It’s simple but straightforward. I like it.”

Cyrus beamed. “I originally had Logan about to get hit by a car and Quinn shoves him out of the way but she ends up losing all of her memories of him.”

“That’s a good one. Why do you have to re-write it?”

“It requires filming a car accident which I don’t have the time for nor do I want Buffy to get unintentionally injured… or you.”

“Awww, thanks, Underdog.” The jock ruffled his hair, fondly, before falling back against the couch. “So… are you gonna start writing now?”

Cyrus sighed as he grabbed his notebook and opened to a fresh page. “I suppose so.”

While T.J. played around on his phone next to him, Cyrus began to write. Now that he had an idea in his head, he had to put it all down before he lost it.

Logan and Quinn agree to meet one last time. But, Logan’s Captain finds out and tries to stop him. Meanwhile, Quinn continues to wait for Logan but she hears a loud noise. Thinking it’s Logan, she goes to investigate, falls down some stairs, and breaks her arm. And after that….

Cyrus blinked. He re-read everything he just wrote but he still came to the same conclusion: he didn’t know what else to write now.

Quinn falls down the stairs and breaks her arm. Then… what?

“Wow, you wrote a lot.”

He turned his head to give T.J. an appreciative smile. “Thanks, but it’s not done yet. I… can’t think of what happens next.” Suddenly feeling tired, he leaned his head against the couch. “My head hurts,” he whined. Then, his stomach moved and made a noise. “And hungry.” He checked the clock on the wall. “It’s past noon. We should eat.”

He turned back to T.J. to see the athlete staring at him with a deep, contemplative look.

“What?” he asked.

“Have you taken a break from this project at all this week?” T.J. asked.

Cyrus pursed his lips. “Well, obviously I took breaks and did my homework for other classes.”

Suddenly, T.J. got to his feet and stretched. Cyrus was momentarily distracted by his shirt lifting up.

“Get your things, we’re going out.”

Pulling his gaze away from the hem of T.J.’s shirt, Cyrus looked up.

“Huh?”

T.J. grinned. “We’re going out. You’re taking a break.”

Cyrus frowned. “But…”

T.J. grabbed his hand and pulled him up. “Let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

Instead of taking him to The Spoon like he expected, T.J. led Cyrus to a pizza place on Main Street. There wasn’t a lot of people so they managed to buy their pizza and grab a table, immediately. 

Cyrus didn’t realize how hungry he really was until he smelt the cheese and tomato sauce so he dug in with much enthusiasm.

“Did you starve?” T.J. joked before biting into his own pizza.

Cyrus flashed him a harmless glare. “We were working for a long time. Oreos are good but they don’t fill up a growing boy.”

“Well, then, eat up cause we’re going somewhere after this.”

Cyrus raised an eyebrow. “I thought we were just taking a lunch break.”

“You need a real break. Just for a couple of hours. Once your head is clear, you can get back to writing the rest of your assignment with a fresh mind.”

Cyrus pointedly stared at his pizza, unsure. He still had quite a bit to do. Would taking a couple of hours break really be okay? What if he fell behind?

As if he could read his thoughts, T.J. spoke up. “You won’t fall behind, don’t worry. I’ll help you.”

“T.J., you don’t have to, you know. This is my work and I’m sure you have your own assignments too.”

The athlete shook his head, looking almost amused. “I’m touched that you care about my education, Underdog, but it’s fine. Really. I’m getting my work done and I can spare some time to help you. This is a big project! I can’t let you do it all on your own!”

Cyrus bit his lip. “But…”

“But, nothing. I’m offering my help. So, take it, okay? You don't have to do everything by yourself. It’s okay to ask for help.”

At that, Cyrus couldn’t help but smile. “You sound so wise.”

T.J. flashed a smile of his own. “You taught me that.”

And now, Cyrus was blushing. Of course. Could he not go a day without blushing around T.J.? You’d think this was his first crush!

 

* * *

 

After lunch with Cyrus, T.J. led him a couple of blocks away to the place where he wanted to take him. He had thought many times about taking the other boy there (preferably on a date) but he never got the opportunity until that day. He hoped that Cyrus would like it and have fun.

“Ta-da!” T.J. gestured to the building with a flourish.

Cyrus stared at the building. “The arcade?” he stated.

T.J. grinned. “Yeah. Today, we’ll have fun, just you and me.” Excitedly, he took Cyrus’ arm and began to tow him towards the doors. “We’ll play all the games and win prizes and they have snacks, too, if you get hungry.” He spun on his heels to look at the shorter boy in front of him. “So? You game?”

Cyrus looked startled at that. For a moment, he only stared at T.J. then at the games and machines ahead of them. Then, he smiled and its radiance made T.J.’s heart flutter.

“Well, what are you waiting for, basketball guy? Let’s go!”

He grabbed T.J.’s arm and towed him towards the nearest game.

They started simple with a racing game. Side-by-side, they raced through a desert landscape, avoided other cars, and finally reached the finish line. Cyrus won this one.

He let T.J. pick the next one and since he felt like shooting zombies… 

Cyrus (cutely) wrinkled his nose at the sight of the gross-looking undead characters but when it came to shooting them, he wasn’t half bad… until the king zombie popped out and scared him half to death that he started shooting randomly all over the screen. Suffice to say, they won because he managed to hit the zombie king on the head.

Then, they played air hockey. This was when T.J.’s competitive nature flared. He spared no mercy, not even to his crush. Cyrus pouted at him when he missed the puck for the very last time, making T.J. the winner.

“Awww, it’s okay, Underdog,” he said, flinging an arm around the pouting boy’s shoulder. “We can play something else and I’ll let you win.”

“Don’t you dare, T.J. Kippen! I want to win fair and square!”

T.J. chuckled, pulling him closer and squeezing him against his side before letting him go.

“How about basketball then?” he said, pointing at the game. “We can do it together and get tickets for a prize. You in?”

This seemed to cheer up Cyrus. “With you? This will be a piece of cake! Let’s go!”

Cyrus was pretty enthusiastic when trying to shoot basketballs. Unfortunately...

“Ugh!” Cyrus glared at the 5 tickets the machine spit out. “I hate this game now! I keep missing!”

T.J. tore the tickets out and stuffed them in his pockets. “It’s okay, we can try again.”

He put another quarter in and the game started again. He began to shoot at a steady speed, taking peeks of Cyrus from the corner of his eye.

The shorter boy looked so cute, eyes peeled wide as he bit his lip in concentration.

“How are you doing that?!” Cyrus whined.

T.J. furrowed his brows. “Doing what?”

“Shooting without looking?!”

“Oh.” He felt a little smug after that. And maybe showed off a little.

They got 10 tickets for this round. But, Cyrus still didn’t look happy so T.J. put in another quarter. This time, he grabbed a basketball and got behind Cyrus.

“Here, I’ll fix your stance for you.” He placed the ball in Cyrus’ hands before positioning his arms correctly. “Bend your knees a little and jump if you have to.” Then, he moved his hands to cover his. “Don’t throw the ball, just toss it and give it momentum with your hand.”

Cyrus’ ears were a cute red and T.J. couldn’t help but chuckle at how adorable it was.

He helped him shoot and the ball went in, earning them a point.

“Yes! Let’s keep going! We have 30 seconds left!”

T.J. moved back to his side and began grabbing ball after ball to shoot. This time, Cyrus managed to get a few in and by the last 10 seconds, both boys were yelling at the increasing score.

The timer turned 0 just as T.J. managed to get the last ball in.

“Yes!” He turned to Cyrus and met his hand in a high-five before pulling him in for a hug. “You did it!”

“We did it!” the other boy exclaimed, happily.

They stared at each other for a moment, basking in the glory of their victory. T.J. always thought that Cyrus looked the most handsome like this: when his pretty brown eyes are sparkling, his lips are smiling, and his overall aura was just… bright.

Cyrus looked away first. “Look, T.J., we got more tickets!”

They got 30 tickets in total from the basketball game.

Next, they played skeeball, which Cyrus was also pretty good at. It added 20 tickets to their pile.

By then, they had already been at the arcade for three hours and as much as T.J. wished they could stay longer and play more games together, he knew that they had to start heading home soon. Cyrus still needed to finish his script and T.J. also had some homework.

They went to the counter to claim their prize and the guy gave them 3 options for prizes: a small teddy bear, a pack of Hot Wheels cars, and a plastic T-rex.

T.J. could see Cyrus staring pointedly at the plastic T-rex.

“We’ll take the T-rex,” he stated.

With a grin, he turned to Cyrus and hand it over.

The boy’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?” he asked, taking the toy.

T.J. shrugged. “I know it’s not a Brontosaurus but a T-rex is cool too, right?”

“You know my favorite dinosaur,” Cyrus said, sounding surprised.

T.J. shrugged again.

Of course, he knew. Cyrus talked about it once and how much he liked “The Land Before Time” (though the first and second one always made him cry… ALWAYS).

“So… did it help?” he couldn’t help but ask as they walked home.

“Well, my head is a little less fuzzy now and I’m not as anxious as I was this morning so, yes, it did.” Cyrus beamed at him as he hugged his T-rex against his stomach. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” T.J. lightly brushed his hand against his. “Hey, I know you’re stressed out by this and I don’t blame you. It’s a lot of work. But, try not to worry too much, okay? You always do a hundred and ten percent and this one won’t be any different. I’m sure Mr. Spencer knows that, too.”

Cyrus sighed. “You’re right. I just… can’t help it, sometimes. I always feel like… I have something to prove.”

T.J. could relate. “Yeah? Well, I think you’ve already proved quite a lot. You’re amazing, Underdog.”

Cyrus blushed and sheepishly looked down at his feet. He was quiet for a moment before his steps slowed down until he stopped and turned to look at T.J.

“You don’t have to walk me home the rest of the way, I can manage. I think I need the solitude to think a little.” He flashed T.J. a look of apology. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Yeah, of course. I’m glad I got to spend time with you today. And helped relieve your stress a little.”

Cyrus smiled. “Thanks for Rexie. I’ll introduce him to the rest of the Dino Squad when I get home.”

Oh, goodness, he already had a name and a Dino squad. T.J. wanted to wrap him in his arms and squeeze him but he restrained himself.

Instead, he just nodded. “No problem. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, see you.”

With one last smile, Cyrus turned on his heels and walked away. T.J. watched him until he disappeared in the next corner. Only then did he continue on his way home, humming to himself.

It was an amazing day.

 

* * *

 

When Cyrus arrived home, he immediately collapsed on the couch, tired and exhausted from the day… but happy. He hugged Rexie to his chest, remembering the sweet way T.J. gave it to him.

He wondered if his heart could survive this crush. It just seemed like the more he spent time with T.J., the stronger his feelings grew. And it didn’t help when T.J. was always so nice and sweet… always going the extra mile for him… and at the end of every interaction, just left a giant impression. It had always been that way since the day they first met when he helped him get that muffin. He really liked T.J.

And the way he felt for his athletic friend frightened him sometimes.

As Cyrus rolled over to make himself more comfortable, something crunched underneath him. He reached under himself and pulled out a piece of crumpled paper. It was his list of ideas from that morning, the plot he chose encircled.

Sighing, he turned his head to look at his notebook on top of the coffee table. It stared back at him.

All of a sudden, pictures played in his head.

Quickly, he sat up, placed Rexie on the coffee table (he would introduce him to the rest of the Dino squad later), and grabbed his notebook and a pen. Opening to the page where he was earlier, he pictured the scene in his head again.

Pen poised on top of the paper, Cyrus began to write. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second to the last chapter! Thank you so much to everyone who read, left a kudos, and commented!

“I like this shot but the lighting doesn’t look right.”

Cyrus leaned in to peer at the clip T.J. was pointing at on the laptop. The jock was right, the glare was too much. But, it was a really nice shot of T.J. and Buffy at the park. Maybe they could fix it with a filter or adjusting the brightness?

“Add it in and leave me a note, please,” Cyrus said.

“Okay, boss.”

He resisted the urge to blush but flashed the jock a grateful smile before returning his attention to his own laptop.

It had been 3 days of non-stop filming and after each shoot, T.J. would walk him home, stay for a few hours to help him pick out clips and edit, they would do a little homework, then he would have dinner with Cyrus and his family before heading home.

They only had two more scenes to film the next day. Then, Cyrus would finish editing and submit his finished work on Friday. Mr. Spencer said that they would show his film in class and he was half-excited and half-terrified about it. On the one hand, he wanted his work to be seen by people other than his friends but on the other, he was afraid that his classmates would hate it and cast him aside as a social pariah. 

No pressure. 

“So… we’re almost done, huh?” T.J. randomly said out of nowhere.

Cyrus hummed. “Yeah, time flew by pretty fast. I can’t believe we managed to get here with minimal injury. Though, I think my nose will always remember.”

Both boys chuckled at that. The bruise had faded by now but Cyrus had been embarrassed and even considered sneaking some of his stepmom's concealer to cover it up.

“That’s your battle scar, Underdog,” T.J. replied, nudging his shoulder. “You braved through it.”

Cyrus could feel his ears burning again. “Thank you.” Clearing his throat, he turned away. “Do you want to take a break from this? Maybe we can rehearse your lines?”

T.J. was already closing the laptop and putting it on the coffee table. “Sounds good.”

He picked up the new script beside it while Cyrus dug his copy out of his book bag. He flipped to the end. Folding his legs under him, he turned his body around so he could face the jock.

“I’ll be Quinn,” he stated, fighting a blush.

T.J. mirrored his position and smirked. “Go ahead…  _Quinn._ ”

Cyrus tried to ignore the fluttering in his chest. Instead, he looked down at the script and began to read.

 _“We need to talk,”_  he said, getting in the role of Quinn.

As Logan, T.J. nodded, solemnly

_“I think it’s best that we stop seeing each other.”_

_“What? Why?”_

_“Logan…”_ Cyrus sighed.  _“We’ve hurt our team and ourselves, quite literally. The more we keep pushing our relationship, the more we’ll hurt everyone around us.”_

_“They’re going to accept us. They **have**  to.”_

_“It’s not about acceptance. It’s about us just… losing ourselves in this thing we think is love.”_

T.J. waited a few beats and, in a soft voice, said,  _“Don’t you love me?”_

Cyrus swallowed.  _“I do…”_

_“But, you don’t want to be with me anymore?”_

_“I…just need space and time. And I think you do, too.”_

T.J. grabbed Cyrus’ hand (he tried not to jump because T.J. was simply playing a role).  _“But, I love you.”_

Cyrus hesitated before reaching out to place a hand on T.J.’s cheek.  _“I love you, too. But, it doesn’t mean that we’re meant to be. At least, not right now. I’m sorry, Logan.”_

_“Quinn…”_

They waited a few beats before Cyrus smiled. “That was great, Teej!”

T.J. beamed, squeezing Cyrus’ hand (which he just realized the jock never let go of).

“Buffy is supposed to pull her hand away after that,” T.J. replied.

“Y-Yeah.”

Cyrus dropped his hand from T.J.’s cheek but the latter still didn’t release his hand. The jock’s hand was much bigger than his and kind of rough from all the sports he did.

“So… um… what do you think of the ending?” he asked.

T.J. pursed his lips. “It’s kinda sad. After going through a lot to be together… just to have it end like that…” His thumb absentmindedly stroked Cyrus’ knuckles. “it’s not death, but it’s still pretty…”

He trailed off.

“Tragic?” Cyrus supplied.

“Yeah. It’s tragic. But, I guess it happens?” He turned on his seat (still holding Cyrus’ hand) and leaned back against the couch. “I can’t imagine saying that I’m so in love with someone and just giving up on them like that.”

Cyrus followed his move. “It’s not like Quinn is giving up. She’s just… giving themselves more room to grow. And if they’re really meant to be, they’ll get together, one way or another. I mean, T.J., they’re still in middle school.”

He turned his head to see T.J. frown. “So, you’re saying that you can’t fall in love in middle school? Or if you do, it’s not real?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” Cyrus replied, quickly. “I think what they have is real. It’s just… not the right time for them.”

“Then… when is the right time?” T.J. sounded genuinely upset about that.

Cyrus hesitated to answer. He didn’t want to say the wrong words.

“Sorry,” T.J. suddenly said. “That was a convoluted question. Don’t mind me.”

“No, not at all. I guess… I don’t really have an answer for that.”

“That’s fair.”

They sat in silence for a moment.

Cyrus became even more aware of the hand in his. He wasn’t sure if T.J. was holding his hand on purpose or just forgot that he was. Either way, Cyrus was savoring the feeling. It was nice, holding hands. He liked holding hands. He found it quite intimate.

“Hey, Cy.”

Cyrus turned his head to him. “Yes?”

T.J.’s hand tightened in his as he visibly swallowed.

Cyrus felt himself scoot closer. “What is it, T.J.?”

T.J. slowly leaned in. “I… um… So I…”

Cyrus bit his lip. “Yes?”

“I…”

The sound of a lock turning made them both freeze. T.J. released his hand and leaned back just as the door opened.

“Hey, kids.” Cyrus’ mother entered, hands full with her purse and what appeared to be groceries. “Hard at work, I see.”

“Yeah,” Cyrus managed.

“We’re almost done,” T.J. added.

Sharon smiled at them. “T.J., you’re staying for dinner, yes?”

The jock nodded with a smile of his own. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Perfect! It will be ready in an hour!”

Sharon headed to the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone.

They sat in awkward silence, not sure if they should continue their conversation or not.

Finally, T.J. grabbed the laptop on the coffee table. “Let’s finish up?” he asked.

Cyrus silently nodded, reaching for his own.

They worked in silence until dinner.

 

* * *

 

 

_“Don’t you love me?”_

_“I do…”_

_“But, you don’t want to be with me anymore?”_

_“I…just need space and time. And I think you do, too.”_

_“But, I love you.”_

_“I love you, too. But, it doesn’t mean that we’re meant to be. At least, not right now. I’m sorry, Logan.”_

_“Quinn…”_

_“Good-bye.”_

_“Quinn!”_

“And… cut!”

T.J. broke out of character and turned to Cyrus who was beaming at him from behind the camera.

“Great job, you two! Let’s move on to the hallway and film the last scene!”

Nodding, T.J. followed him and Jonah out of the classroom and into the hallway, where the extras along with Buffy and Andi were waiting.

The last scene shows Quinn and Logan passing each other in the halls. They look at each other for a moment and continue to walk on. The two Captains notice them ignoring each other and show a brief look of regret for driving a wedge between them.

It was a simple scene but Cyrus said that it spoke volumes on the tragic way their relationship ended.

T.J. and Buffy positioned themselves on opposite sides of the hallway. Jonah’s camera was on Buffy while Cyrus’ was on T.J. With them were the members of their team, acting as extras.

“Extras, ready?”

They gave the affirmative.

“And… action!”

They moved, walking up and down the hallway, chatting.

“Okay, T.J. and Buffy, go!”

T.J. walked forward with his head down and a slight limp, emphasizing Logan’s leg injury. When he reached the designated spot, he looked up, the same time that Buffy did. She had a cast on, to show Quinn’s own injury. They looked at each other for 5 seconds before Buffy looked away first and continued walking. T.J., too, turned his head away and walked on.

After they left the shot, the two Captains meet in the middle, looking forlorn. They looked at each other, regretful, before they also parted from each other.

“And… cut! That was perfect, guys!”

Cyrus looked excited as he looked up from the camera, beaming at all of them.

“We’ll do two more takes, okay? Re-set!”

T.J. went back to his original spot. Andi came by a minute later to fix his makeup and his hair.

“You, guys, did great,” she complimented.

“Thanks, Andi.”

Nodding at him, she bounded off.

“Is everyone ready?”

Everyone gave the affirmative.

They shot the scene two more times. At the end of the last take, as soon as Cyrus yelled, “Cut! That’s a wrap!”, everyone broke into applause.

Buffy and Andi both ran up to Cyrus, hugging him. T.J. wanted to do the same but he stayed in place, wanting them to have their moment. He would try to ask for his later.

His teammates surrounded him, instead, clapping his back and congratulating him on a job well done.

“Everyone, thank you so much for being a part of this project!” Cyrus called out over the noise. “I’ve had such a thrill working with all of you, especially my stars! T.J. and Buffy!”

Everyone clapped, hooted, and whistled. T.J. felt pride blossom in his chest at having accomplished something amazing.

“To reward you all for your hard work, milkshakes on me at The Spoon! This Saturday!”

That declaration received another cheer.

While everyone cleaned up and gathered their things, T.J. finally managed to pull Cyrus aside.

“Congratulations, Underdog!” he greeted.

Cyrus beamed up at him. “Thank you! But, my work is not done! I still have to cut and edit today’s footage!”

“I’ll help,” T.J. replied with no hesitation.

Cyrus didn’t seem surprised anymore at his offer. Instead, he surged forward, wrapping his arms around T.J.

“Thank you!”

He pulled away much too quickly and the jock lamented the loss of the warmth. Nonetheless, that brief hug made him happy as a bee.

“Hey, Cyrus. Congratulations,” a new voice joined in.

They both turned around to the newcomer.

“Marty!” Cyrus exclaimed.

The track star grinned. “Hope you didn’t mind if I watched that last take? Sorry I couldn’t help before.”

“Not at all! It’s fine!” Cyrus looked over at Buffy, who was busy talking to some of her teammates to notice Marty. “I think Buffy was more upset that it wasn’t you who starred with her.”

Marty pursed his lips. “I heard she and Kippen here made things hard for you.”

T.J. would be offended at that if it wasn’t true. Fortunately, Cyrus didn’t seem to take it to heart. In fact, he laughed.

“At first, they did, but they ended up being fantastic actors! Especially T.J.! His heart eyes are spot on!”

“Is that so?”

The track star flashed T.J. a look. He simply shrugged in response.

“Well, congratulations again.” Marty looked over at Buffy. “I’m gonna go congratulate the Slayer.”

He patted Cyrus’ arm, nodded at T.J., and went on his way.

Together, they watched him approach Buffy and surprise her with a poke on her cheek. And even from afar and even though Buffy acted irritated, they could see the joy in her eyes at seeing the track star there.

“He really likes her, huh?” T.J. couldn’t help but comment, wishing he had Marty’s guts.

“Yeah,” Cyrus agreed, smiling at the sight. “He would have made a great Logan. Not that you weren’t great!” he added, quickly.

T.J. had to laugh at his panicked tone.

“Because you were a fantastic Logan!”

T.J. decided not to tease him for now. Instead, he reached over and ruffled Cyrus’ hair.

“Thanks, Cy.”

He was pleased to see the cute blush appear on the other boy’s cheeks.

 

* * *

 

They were on his couch again, backs lazily against it, as they stared at the open laptop in front of them.

After an hour and a half of cutting clips, editing, and rendering, Cyrus was finally done. His movie came out to 28 minutes and 45 seconds, cutting it very close to what Mr. Spencer required of him. Now, the video was loading to a DVD and he would make a copy on a flash drive, just in case.

So, he and T.J. were just relaxing now while they waited for it to finish.

“I know I said it so many times already, but it really was fun, Underdog.”

Cyrus hummed and turned his head to look at him. “I’m glad.” He sighed. “I’ll have to admit, doing this project was exhausting, but it’s brought back a bit of my confidence. Now, we’ll just have to see if the class likes it tomorrow.”

“I’m sure they will.” T.J. grinned. “You had some great actors.”

“Yeah, Buffy was amazing.”

T.J. wrinkled his nose. “Ouch. You wound me so, Underdog.” He chuckled. “But, I’ll let it go for today because I like you.”

The unexpected statement caused Cyrus’ brain to stop working for a hot second.

“Uhh… I…”

A short alert sounded off from his laptop, indicating that the movie had finished transferring to the DVD. Clearing his throat, Cyrus practically flew off the couch to his laptop, hoping T.J. didn’t see his reddening face. 

By the number of times he had been blushing this entire week, Cyrus might as well turn into a tomato and grow in his step-mother’s garden.

He busied himself by opening the CD drive and removing the disk. Then, he popped in a flash drive and saved the movie there too.

He turned to T.J. with the disk at hand, smiling. “Wanna watch it?”

“Heck yeah!”

Cyrus bounded over to the T.V. and crouched down in front of it. He turned on the DVD player, popped the disk in, and grabbed the remote. Settling himself back on the couch, he pressed play.

They, first, watched the movie in silence. The acting was mediocre at best, Cyrus had to be honest about that. From the corner of his eye, he spied T.J. flinching and looking away whenever he saw himself onscreen. Cyrus had to hold back his own giggles.

And, then, the gazebo scene began. The acting, by this point, was better. T.J. and Buffy had gotten into their characters a bit better than in the previous scenes.

“My hair looked good,” T.J. commented.

Cyrus finally allowed himself a laugh. “You’re so humble.”

But, he couldn’t argue with that either. T.J. looked handsome, especially with the lighting and the way his eyes looked as they gazed at Buffy. He was really good at looking in love.

Cyrus’ heart was racing, unable to tear his eyes away.

_“I’d give it all up for you. The team. My position. Everything if it means I can be with you.”_

He knew that those were Logan’s lines but a part of him couldn’t help but wonder…

“You’re right,” T.J. said, softly. “That was the perfect moment.”

Cyrus chuckled, gaze still on the T.V. “And you did it, perfectly.”

He felt a shoulder and a leg press against his side.

“Do you know… who I was thinking about the entire time?”

Cyrus felt himself tense up. “I told you guys to think about the person you liked.”

“Yeah.”

His chest twitched and he absentmindedly scratched at it. “So, you were doing that, yes?” he asked, casually.

“Yeah.”

A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed. “My technique worked well then.”

He turned to look at T.J. to smile but froze when he saw that T.J. was already watching him with the soft look on his face. His eyes were the same as the ones he showed when he was Logan, the eyes that made hearts speed up and knees buckle.

“It wasn’t just your technique, you know,” T.J. said.

By now, neither of them were paying attention to the movie.

Cyrus couldn’t find the words to say so he stayed silent.

“It was you,” T.J. continued, smiling.

Cyrus felt a hand over his and briefly looked down to see T.J.’s fingers intertwining with his. He looked up again, his heart beating fast against his chest and loud in his ears.

“M-Me?” he managed.

T.J. hummed as he nodded. “All of my scenes with Buffy? I would close my eyes and open them and see… you. After every one of them, I have to look at you to make sure that you’re there.”

Cyrus felt himself release a soft gasp of realization. He thought back on the past couple of days, filming with T.J. The jock wasn’t just looking at him to confirm if he did his scene okay. He would look at him because… he wanted to.

“Why are you telling me this?” Cyrus softly asked.

T.J. chuckled. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Cyrus swallowed, unable to find his voice.

“The right timing. The right mood. Everything feels like it’s disappearing and it’s just you and me.” T.J. squeezed his hand. “It’s the perfect moment.”

And with that, he began to lean in.

Cyrus’ breath caught in his throat, but he didn’t move. His heart was beating faster than ever and all he could see in front of him were T.J.’s green eyes and pretty lips that looked really soft and his own eyes were closing and…

The turn of a key and the door opening felt like a lightning bolt fell in between them. The two boys broke apart, their hands leaving each other. 

Cyrus couldn’t help but be disappointed and lament the loss.

“Hi, boys! Working late again?”

“H-Hi Sharon,” Cyrus managed.

“Hi Miss Frank,” T.J. followed, his voice steadier than Cyrus’.

His step-mother entered the living room.

“We’re actually done.” Cyrus gestured to the T.V. where his movie was still playing.

“Oh, I see that! We should all watch it after dinner! T.J., you’re staying, yes?”

T.J. coughed before standing up. “Actually, I have to head home a bit early tonight, Miss Frank. I’m sorry. Another time?”

Cyrus looked up at him, eyes wide and confused. Weren’t they just having a moment?! Why was he leaving?!

“Of course. Thank you again for helping Cyrus with his project.”

“It was my pleasure.” He smiled at Sharon before turning to the other boy, who was still frozen and seated on the couch. “I’m sure your film will be great, Cy. I’ll see you at school.”

And with that, the jock turned on his heels and headed towards the door.

“Cyrus, honey? Are you okay?”

Breaking out of his frozen stupor, Cyrus knew that he couldn’t just let T.J. get away. Why confess something like that and just leave?! That was so unfair! He didn’t even get a chance to answer him!

“I’ll be right back,” he said to his step-mother before moving towards the door.

He stepped out to see that T.J. was already halfway down the path.

“T.J.!”

Immediately, the jock turned around, looking adorably confused.

It could have been adrenaline. Or excitement. Or some inner brave part of him. But, Cyrus’ legs moved on their own and he let them. He ran up to T.J., meeting him right there in the middle. For a moment, he only looked at him and T.J. gazed right back.

Lifting himself up on his tiptoes, Cyrus kissed his cheek.

“Good night,” he said. “And thank you. Again. Get home, safely, okay?”

Feeling embarrassed at his sudden act, he ran back into his house, closing the door behind him.

He could feel not only his face was red and warm but his entire body, too.

Oh, god, he kissed T.J.!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is the final chapter! Thank you to everyone who has given my story love, support, and comments! This was kind of a difficult piece for me to write because I dived in it without really knowing where I was gonna go with it, at first. But, I’m glad I managed to finish it in the way that satisfies me and I hope it’s to your liking as well! Again, thank you so much!

_“But, I love you.”_

_“I love you, too. But, it doesn’t mean that we’re meant to be. At least, not right now. I’m sorry, Logan.”_

_“Quinn…”_

_“Good-bye.”_

_“Quinn!”_

Cyrus tried not to squirm in his seat as his movie came to a close.

Around him, his classmates all had their eyes on the Smart Board, where Buffy as Quinn was walking away from T.J. as Logan. 

Mr. Spencer was seated in his chair, also concentrating on the movie.

Cyrus was the last student to present in class because of how long his project was. Due to being pressed for time, they only watched the first 5 minutes before Mr. Spencer skipped to the gazebo scene and then the last 10 minutes.

On the screen, Logan and Quinn passed each other in the halls while the sad music Cyrus had chosen played in the background. The two briefly looked at each other before, in slow motion, turning their heads and walking away. The camera panned to the Captains, both full of regrets, before they, too, walked away from each other as the scene finally faded to black.

Mr. Spencer clapped and the rest of the class followed.

“That was great! Good job, Cyrus!” Mr. Spencer said, standing up. “Everyone did well on their projects! Congratulations! You’ll all be receiving your grades next class.”

Just then, the bell rang, right on time.

“Alright, I’ll see everyone next week! Have a great weekend, kids!”

Cyrus began to pack up. A few of his classmates walked by to tell him his movie was good and he thanked them, gratefully. He was relieved that his work was well received, despite the hiccups and not-so-hot acting at the beginning.

“T.J. Kippen was Logan, right?” he heard one of the girls say behind him.

He perked up his ears.

“Yeah! He’s so cute! I think I’m in love!” another chimed in.

Cyrus resisted the urge to chuckle.

“Is he dating Buffy Driscoll? They looked cute together.”

“I hope not ‘cause I want to date him!”

The girls were still giggling as they left and Cyrus followed after them, wishing he could chime in too but he didn’t really know them that well.

“Cyrus! Hey!”

Cyrus’ heart began to quicken at the sound of the voice.

T.J. appeared beside him, grinning. “How did it go?”

The two walked down the hall together.

“Good! I think they really liked it!” He flashed T.J. a teasing look. “You got a couple of fans in my class. They think you’re cute.”

T.J.’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“You sound shocked. Did you not realize how cute you are?”

T.J.’s face lit up. “You think I’m cute?”

Cyrus coughed. “The girls in my class said that. They think you’re dating Buffy too.”

At that, T.J. made a strangled noise in response. “They couldn’t be any more wrong.”

“They think you look good together.”

“Driscoll will kill me.”

Cyrus laughed. “Anyway, is your class even this way?”

“In the next hall.” T.J. slowed down. “Actually, I’m also hoping that we could… talk?”

Cyrus’ giddiness was replaced by sudden nerves. He tried to play dumb. “About what?”

“Cy, you know what I’m talking about.” T.J. paused in this tracks and turned to look at him. “About last night?”

Cyrus swallowed, unable to find the right words. T.J. had made the first move but Cyrus was the one who kissed him (well, his cheek, but still). What if the other boy realized he didn’t like it and stopped liking him… if he even liked him in the first place?

T.J. looked worried, as his hands tightened their hold on the straps of his backpack. “Please?” he asked, his lips in a small pout.

So cute. How could Cyrus deny him? So, he took a deep breath to calm himself before saying, “Okay. After school, I’ll meet you up front?”

At this, T.J. appeared to light up and he nodded. “Yeah, that sounds great. I’ll see you later.”

He appeared to hesitate before reaching out and taking Cyrus’ hand, squeezed it lightly, and bounded off. The action left Cyrus blushing and frozen in the middle of the hallway. 

He would have stayed there if someone didn’t bump into him, breaking him out of his stupor.

Taking more breaths to calm himself, he rushed to class. He was suddenly impatient for the end of the school day.

 

* * *

True to their agreement, T.J. was already waiting for him outside at the end of the school day.

The jock smiled when Cyrus waved in greeting.

“So, where to?” he asked as they began to walk.

Cyrus hummed. “Not sure. Do you have somewhere in mind where we can talk? Maybe the swings?”

The swings were their place. It made sense for any kind of talk about their… relationship… to be there. He almost blushed at the thought of that.

T.J. pursed his lips in contemplation before breaking into a grin. He grabbed Cyrus’ hand.

“I know a place,” he said, pulling Cyrus along.

They walked for some time, mostly in comfortable silence. 

Halfway there, Cyrus realized that they were heading for the park so maybe they were going to the swings after all. But, T.J. passed the direction towards the playground, heading instead for another section of the park.

“The gazebo?” Cyrus stated when he saw the familiar structure ahead of them.

T.J. just smiled and nodded, pulling him under it.

Without the cameras, equipment, and the presence of his other friends, the gazebo definitely showed its original intention as a romantic place. Bushes of colorful flowers surrounded it and it was secluded from the rest of the park so it was quiet aside from the chirping of a few birds.

Cyrus turned to the now nervous-looking athlete.

“So… why here of all places?” he couldn’t help but ask.

T.J. rocked back and forth on his heels. “Well… Logan and Quinn had their perfect moment here. I figured if there’s any fitting place to talk, it would be here.”

It was sweet, Cyrus had to admit. And romantic as well.

He grinned. “I thought our perfect moment was last night on my couch?” he teased.

To his surprise, T.J. blushed. “Well, we got interrupted so…”

Cyrus leaned his back against one of the pillars. “So, if we weren’t interrupted, what would have happened?”

T.J. swallowed and took a step forward. “I would have kissed you.”

Heat surged in Cyrus’ face. “I… um…” His voice got stuck in his throat so he cleared it. “W-Why?”

T.J. chuckled. “You’re smarter than I am, Cyrus. I think you can figure it out.”

Cyrus frowned at that. “But, you  _are_  smart.”

T.J. laughed again. “Figures you’d focus on that part instead of the part where I want you to figure out why I wanted to kiss you?”

Feeling the warmth in his cheeks, Cyrus wondered if his face could get ever redder than it was now. And he couldn’t find his voice either. He wondered if he had turned mute somehow, if the shock of the knowledge that T.J. Kippen, one of his best friends and his crush, wanted to kiss him.

The next thing he knew, T.J. was in front of him. He was close. So close. Maybe a little too close. He felt short of breath.

T.J. must have realized that he was up in his space so he stepped back.

“I like you, Cyrus,” he stated, plain and simple, like he was telling him the time of day.

Now, Cyrus definitely couldn’t breathe and his heart was beating way too fast.

“L-Like me?” he parroted. “As in… like, like me?”

T.J. sheepishly smiled. “Like as in… I want to hold your hand and take you out on dates and kiss you and…” He hesitated before getting a determined look on his face. “… tell people that you’re my boyfriend.”

Every word that T.J. said equated to a butterfly soaring in Cyrus’ stomach and he felt lightheaded and overwhelmed by just… everything.

Because T.J. liked him. T.J. wanted to go on a date with him. T.J. wanted to kiss him. And T.J. wanted him to be his boyfriend.

“And… what about you?” T.J. continued, looking anxious now. “That kiss last night… it had to mean something, right?”

Cyrus forced his voice out. “You’re smart, too. Figure it out,” was what he came up with.

Did he sound mean? Was that too much? He was trying to be playful but it came out so haughty. That was not romantic at all!

But, to his relief, T.J. just chuckled and the mischievous grin was back on his face. “So, you like me back?” he teased.

The athlete’s playfulness had eased his anxiety.

“See? You  _are_  smart,” Cyrus replied and gathering all of his bravado (which was almost non-existent, by the way), he managed a flirty wink.

That must have caught T.J. off-guard since his cheeks turned pink.

“Wow,” he simply stated.

Cyrus just shrugged, lowering his head to look at his shoes, embarrassed.

“This feels kind of like a cheesy rom-com right now,” T.J. continued.

Cyrus hummed in agreement.

“So… if you and I were characters in a movie…”

Cyrus looked up in curiosity. Where was he going with that analogy?

T.J. looked calm and casual but there was visible tension in the way he shoved his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie.

“... and we were to have our first kiss, how would it go?” he finished.

If Cyrus thought T.J. couldn’t surprise him any further, the athlete just did.

“I… I…” Cyrus cleared his throat. “Why are you asking me?”

T.J. shrugged. “You’re the expert in cheesy perfect movie moments.” He smiled. “How would you want it to go?”

Cyrus tilted his head to the side. “T.J. Kippen, are you trying to kiss me again?”

T.J. just shrugged his shoulders again, looking to the side now.

“If you wanted to kiss me… you can.”

The mortification of his words just sunk in. Cyrus couldn’t believe that he just said that. But, it wasn’t exactly a lie either.

Across from him, T.J. still looked hesitant to approach him. He needed encouragement.

“If I were to were to write and direct a first kiss scene, it would be right here, in this gazebo,” Cyrus stated.

The side of T.J.’s lip quirked. “Good thing we’re already here then,” he said, cockily.

It made Cyrus smile. “You would walk over to me.”

T.J. took a few steps towards him.

“Closer.”

He took a few more, standing directly in front of Cyrus.

“Perfect.”

T.J. grinned. “What next, Mr. Director?”

Cyrus lifted his head, gaze connecting with T.J.’s eyes. They reminded him of the leaves of trees in the Spring. Pretty.

He was feeling more confident now. “Um… I… would put my hands on your shoulders… like this.”

Slowly, he lifted his hands and followed his own instructions, meeting the soft fabric of T.J.’s hoodie.

T.J. visibly swallowed. “What should I do?” he asked, softly.

Cyrus tilted his head to the side. “What do you think you should do? I’m giving you free reign to act as you please. What would you do, if you were a character in a movie about to give the boy he likes a kiss?”

“I… would…” T.J. cleared his throat. “I… Uh… Put my hands on your waist… like this?”

He gingerly did so and Cyrus resisted the urge to giggle because it tickled.

“And bring you closer.”

This time, he squeaked when T.J. pulled him forward so they were practically nose-to-nose.

Swallowing, he hesitantly asked, “Then?”

T.J. took a deep breath. “Then, I ask you if I can kiss you.”

He paused for a moment. Cyrus waited, heart thundering in his chest.

“Can I kiss you?” was finally asked.

“Yes.”

Cyrus’ eyes fluttered close just as soft lips pressed against his. 

Warmth exploded and covered him all over while his stomach erupted in butterflies. T.J.’s lips were soft and he tasted vaguely of mint chocolate. He wasn’t sure how long the kiss lasted. Probably only a few mere seconds. But Cyrus felt like time had slowed down and it was actually longer.

When he opened his eyes, T.J. was looking at him with a glazed expression, his smile wide and toothy.

“If this were a movie, there would be fireworks behind us,” the jock stated, dreamily.

It made Cyrus chuckle. “Now, who’s the cheesy director?”

T.J. pressed his forehead to his, making the shorter boy close his eyes and hum in happiness. He moved his hands from T.J.’s shoulder down to his waist, wrapping his arms around him.

Was it possible to truly be this happy from a kiss alone? He felt like he was floating on clouds, assuming that this airy feeling he had was what floating on clouds felt like.

“Cyrus?”

“Hmm?”

“Does this mean you’d go out on a date with me?”

“Mmhmm.”

A chuckle.

“Cy?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I kiss you again?”

 

* * *

 

One month later…

As soon as the bell rang, Cyrus quickly packed his things and rushed out of English class. He speed-walked down the hallway, dodging the other students.

Finally, he spotted his boyfriend appearing around the corner.

“T.J.!” he called out, breaking into a jog now.

His boyfriend waved and paused in his tracks, waiting for him to catch up. Cyrus reached him and slipped his hand into his.

“I need to talk to you about my new project!” Cyrus piped, pulling him along.

T.J. laughed. “Hello to you, too, muffin.”

Cyrus beamed. “So, Mr. Spencer loved my movie so much last time that he wants everyone in our class to work on a short video project. It’s nothing too hefty, 15 minutes max, and we can write our own script and plot based on the books we’ve read so far.” He grinned at him. “So, will you be my star?”

T.J. pursed his lips to side, as if thinking really hard. “I don’t know…”

Cyrus turned on his puppy eyes and pout. “Please?”

His boyfriend sighed, dramatically. “Alright. I’ll do it. For you. And free milkshakes.”

“Deal.”

Cyrus was excited now. He couldn’t wait to start working!

“I just need to get your co-star, some extras, gotta borrow equipment again but I think maybe I should invest in a tripod.”

“Wait, co-star? Who?” T.J. wrinkled his nose. “It’s not Buffy again, is it? She might actually kill me this time.”

Cyrus chuckled. “Don’t worry, it’s not Buffy.”

T.J. sighed in relief. “Good.”

Cyrus squeezed his hand. “It’s Marty.”

T.J. paused in his tracks, eyes wide. “Marty?”

“Um…yes?”

“Is this a romance?”

“…there might be hints of it.”

For a moment, Cyrus was worried that T.J. would back out. Or worse, get mad.

Instead, T.J. just groaned. “Great. Now, Buffy is definitely going to kill me.” He sighed. “Well, I guess in the end it will be worth it.” He beamed at Cyrus. “I get to help you make a movie again.”

Cyrus’ heart fluttered.

He always believed that the perfect moment is that one moment where the mood is set, the timing is right, and everything else fades into the background. It is, it truly is because it’s that moment that sticks in your mind and you never forget it.

But, in the last month or so, he realized that maybe, sometimes, the perfect moment didn’t have to be huge like a declaration of love under a gazebo.

Sometimes, it could be just T.J. kissing his nose good-bye and saying “See you later, babe” when he dropped Cyrus off at his classroom.

Every little moment can be perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: That’s a wrap! Thank you, everyone


End file.
